Red Sox Urged To Reunite With 2013 World Series Champion Let Go By Cubs

Could this former World Champ help bring another ring to Boston?

Feb 18, 2019; Lee County, FL, USA; A general view of a Boston Red Sox helmet as Boston Red Sox center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. (19) walks on the field during a spring training workout at Jet Blue Park at Fenway South. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images / Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

Every member of the 2013 World Series team will always have a special place in the hearts of Boston Red Sox fans.

All four of the championships the Red Sox have won this century carry meaning, but 2013 had a special significance to the city of Boston in the wake of the bombing at the Boston Marathon that April. The city and the players rallied together to stun the rest of Major League Baseball, winning a championship the season after a last-place finish.

It's been over a decade, but members of the 2013 team are still making an impact on MLB, albeit most of them no longer still as active players. But that doesn't mean the Red Sox wouldn't be interested in having one of those former players return to them in uniform.

Former Red Sox first baseman Mike Napoli, a 12-year big-league veteran who has made the transition to coaching, was recently let go as the first-base coach of the Chicago Cubs. And coincidentally, the Red Sox fired their own first-base coach Andy Fox on Wednesday.

The puzzle pieces could be aligning for a Napoli-Red Sox reunion. NESN's Gio Rivera urged Boston to consider bringing the former slugger back as the new first-base coach on Thursday.

"Boston, first and foremost, needs to bolster its roster this offseason to guide the franchise to brighter days," Rivera said. "However, bringing Napoli back could pay dividends, especially in offering a guiding hand to youngsters like Triston Casas, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu, along with the slew of prospects expected to get promoted in the near future like Kyle Teel, Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell."

In his playing career, Napoli totaled 267 home runs, including 53 in his two-and-a-half years in Boston. He began his career as a catcher (a position known for churning out future coaches) before transitioning to first base and designated hitter.

Napoli spent the last five seasons in the Cubs organization, including the last two as first-base coach. He was teammates with former Cubs manager David Ross on the 2013 Red Sox, so it makes some sense that with Ross gone, new manager Craig Counsell would want to overhaul the staff after his first year on the job.

The Cubs' loss could prove to be the Red Sox's gain. We'll all have to wait and see if Boston makes a play to hire their former slugger.

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