Mike Napoli Reportedly Agrees to Minor League Contract with Indians

The Cleveland Indians and veteran slugger Mike Napoli reached an agreement Tuesday on a minor league contract with a non-roster invitation to spring training. 

Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reported the signing, which is pending completion of a physical, and passed along comments from Tribe manager Terry Francona, who admitted there may not be a place for Napoli when the regular season arrives.

"It's a little bit of a unique situation," Francona said. "He wanted a chance to be in a Major League camp. There's a decent chance we're going to get him ready to have him go on another team and help beat us. Saying that, I think we all felt like he deserved it. He's such a pro, so special to us."

Napoli is coming off a year with the Texas Rangers during which he posted a lackluster .193/.285/.428 triple-slash line, but still showcased his niche value by cranking 29 home runs. That type of raw power is always going to carry value despite a batting average below the Mendoza Line.

The 36-year-old first baseman, who started his career as a catcher and also has limited experience in left field, said in September the 2017 campaign didn't go as he hoped. The comments came as he was moved to the bench while trying to fight through a lingering ankle injury.

"I haven't lived up to my expectations," Napoli told reporters. "I wanted to contribute on a regular basis, but it hasn't worked out that way. But I know every time I stepped on the field, I was prepared. I worked hard."

While his fading on-base percentage and high strikeout rate limited his overall impact, he's managed to tally 63 homers over the past two years with Texas and Cleveland.

Napoli is also an emotional leader in whatever clubhouse he joins and brings 66 games of postseason experience to the table. Those factors are something Rangers manager Jeff Banister discussed when the club signed the infielder last February, per T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com.

"The human side of it is we are bringing back a guy on our team who is not just a uniform, but lives and breathes winning," he said. "He is a teammate and a team leader. His playoff record speaks for itself … an absolute joy."

The Indians will hope for a bounce-back year from Napoli, who owns a career .346 OBP, if he ends up sticking with the organization. He could emerge as one of the offseason's biggest bargains if he can come closer to that OBP number in 2018 while still hitting 20-plus homers.

He should slot in as the backup to both designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion and first baseman Yonder Alonso for the time being with Cleveland.