As the Mike Napoli saga drags on, Lou Merloni weighs in on what the Red Sox should do.
Merloni says before the Sox can make a decision, they need to find out if Napoli's injury issues are long-term issues or short-term issues.
If they're long-term issues, Merloni believes the Sox can put in some protective language so if an injury does crop up in the next 2-3 years, they're covered.
But if the injury concerns are in the short term, it might be best for the Sox to walk away now and pursue another option. As it stands now, the Sox do not have a suitable internal candidate to play first base if something were to happen to Napoli.
The Sox do still have some options at first base with Nick Swisher and Adam LaRoche both on the market, but both players would require the Sox to give up a draft pick - something they've been unwilling to do thus far.