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| A.J.PIERZYNSKI |
This guarantees that Jarrod Saltalamacchia's days in Boston are over.
According to an anonymous Red Sox official the deal was worth $ 8.25 million. If the figure is correct it would represent a $ 750,000 raise for Pierzynski.
Last season, in 111 games, Pierzynski hit .272 with a .722 OPS. He hit 17 home runs and 70 RBI's.
Pierzynski joins David Ross to form one of the oldest catching duos in the majors. Pierzynski will be 37 this month and Ross will be 37 in March. Since Pierzynski is a lefhanded hitter and Ross righthanded, manager John Farrell has more flexibility with his lineup.
By signing Pierzynski the Red Sox have solved their catching problem for the short term. This fits perfectly with their plan to have Christian Vazquez or Blake Swihart major league ready for 2015.
Pierzynski is a two time All-Star and won the World Series with the Chicago White Sox in 2005. He is a lifetime .322 hitter at Fenway Park but has not yet homered there.
Pierzynski has a reputation of being a 'difficult person' in the clubhouse. The Red Sox management thinks this is overblown. Pierzynski will be entering a clubhouse with strong team leaders such as Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz. Not to mention a no nonsense manger in John Farrell.
Pierzynski is a above-average pitch-caller, something that was seriously lacking with Saltalamacchia. He has also worked with pitching coach Juan Nieves while with the White Sox which can only be a asset.
David Ross his new partner, commented on MLB Radio, "His resume speaks for itself. He's won a championship. The guy is a really good hitter. I think he should fit in well in our lineup, a left-handed bat. He's been around for a long time. I don't think you can go wrong with a guy like that."
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