NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Shortly after news that Mike Napoli had reached a three-year, $39 million agreement with the Red Sox, the general manager of one of the Sox’ chief competitors in the pursuit of the free agent, Jack Zduriencik of the Mariners, talked about missing out on the catcher/first baseman.

“You never know,” Zduriencik told WEEI.com at the Opryland Resort. “We had discussions with him, but at the end every player has to make their own decision, and I respect that. You never know if you’re close or not. You have good dialogue going, but in the end, who knows? At the end the player decides what he feels is best for him. Mike’s a great guy and it’s a good fit for Boston, so congrats.”

When asked he had any clue that Napoli was close to a deal with the Red Sox heading into the winter meetings, Zduriencik said, “I had no idea. None at all.”

For more on the Napoli deal, click here. ^[3]