Texas Rangers: Is Mike Napoli’s Career Over in Arlington?

The Texas Rangers have decided to decline the team option on slugger Mike Napoli. Is there any chance that Napoli returns to Texas before his career is over?

It’s not too surprising to see that the Texas Rangers have declined Mike Napoli’s team option. The organization felt the 36-year-old wasn’t worth the money, and now Napoli will become a free agent.

In 2017 Napoli hit .193 with 29 home runs and 66 RBI in 124 games. He was coming off a 34 homer and 101 RBI season with the Indians, and fell short of expectations.

The emergence of youngster Joey Gallo and hopefully having a full season of veteran Adrian Beltre made Napoli unnecessary for 2018. It was the right move by the organization to decline the team option and to not offer Napoli a qualifying offer.

More from Nolan Writin'

• Framework for a potential Max Fried trade to the Texas Rangers
• Early 2023 MLB mock draft has Texas Rangers selecting an Ohtani-lite
• 3 Texas Rangers outfield trade targets not named Bryan Reynolds
• Did Jacob deGrom really mean what he said at his Texas Rangers press conference?
• Where do Texas Rangers prospects Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker stand after the DeGrom signing?

The Rangers are going to miss the experience though, and that is priceless. Napoli has been to the World Series three times, and been in the postseason eight different times throughout his career. Regardless of his stats, Nap brought something to the table that most players can’t offer.

At this point in Napoli’s career, he won’t offer much than a below average designated hitter or extra bat off the bench. His experience is going to be his biggest selling point, and could have some teams interested.

The Rangers really have no reason to consider bringing Napoli back. When he decides to retire, Napoli could become a reliable coach, and Texas could be a potential landing spot for him.

It’s a bit of a stretch to be offering someone still playing in the MLB a coaching job. The postseason experience Napoli has is priceless, and he’s always been known as a good clubhouse player.

Next: Three Rangers to watch for in 2018

There is basically no chance that Napoli plays in Arlington ever again. If he decides to become a coach then the Rangers should be the first team to call him. He’s a well-respected and intelligent player, but doesn’t offer enough to be given a 2018 contract.