Red Sox, Angels fail to agree to Mike Napoli trade

The Red Sox claimed Mike Napoli off waivers from the Angels last week, but a deal was unable to be agreed to prior to the Monday afternoon deadline, WEEI’s Alex Speier reports. The only real surprise about the turn of events that gave Boston a chance to make an offer for Napoli was that the one of the game’s top offensive catchers made it past eight American League teams on waivers. Of course, it’s doubtful the Mariners could have made a deal for Napoli either, but it wouldn’t have hurt to try. Napoli, 28, is hitting .249/.317/.478 with 21 homers in 370 at-bats this season. He has a career OPS of 837 since entering the league in 2006, which is nearly a match for Victor Martinez’s 838 mark over the same timeframe, and he’s not going to be eligible for free agency until after the 2012 season. The Angels probably weren’t inclined to move Napoli now, but they’ll almost certainly deal one of their three catchers this winter and Napoli could be the favorite to go. He’s due a raise to $4.5 million-$5 million in arbitration, and that might be too rich for the Angels, considering how little Mike Scioscia thinks of his defense.