Headlines

  • Stuart Sternberg Has Agreed To Sell Rays To Patrick Zalupski, Deal Expected To Be Final By September
  • Nationals Select Eli Willits With First Pick Of 2025 Amateur Draft
  • 2025 MLB Draft, First Round Results
  • Red Sox Place Hunter Dobbins On 15-Day IL Due To ACL Tear
  • Astros Promote Brice Matthews
  • Red Sox Likely To Activate Alex Bregman Tomorrow
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Rumors

MLB Trade Rumors

Remove Ads
  • Home
  • Teams
    • AL East
      • Baltimore Orioles
      • Boston Red Sox
      • New York Yankees
      • Tampa Bay Rays
      • Toronto Blue Jays
    • AL Central
      • Chicago White Sox
      • Cleveland Guardians
      • Detroit Tigers
      • Kansas City Royals
      • Minnesota Twins
    • AL West
      • Houston Astros
      • Los Angeles Angels
      • Oakland Athletics
      • Seattle Mariners
      • Texas Rangers
    • NL East
      • Atlanta Braves
      • Miami Marlins
      • New York Mets
      • Philadelphia Phillies
      • Washington Nationals
    • NL Central
      • Chicago Cubs
      • Cincinnati Reds
      • Milwaukee Brewers
      • Pittsburgh Pirates
      • St. Louis Cardinals
    • NL West
      • Arizona Diamondbacks
      • Colorado Rockies
      • Los Angeles Dodgers
      • San Diego Padres
      • San Francisco Giants
  • About
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Tim Dierkes
    • Writing team
    • Advertise
    • Archives
  • Contact
  • Tools
    • 2025 Trade Deadline Outlook Series
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Agency Database
  • NBA/NFL/NHL
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • App
  • Chats
Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

A.J. Pierzynski’s Next Contract

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 5, 2010 at 3:12pm CDT

Look ahead to the catchers who could be free agents after the season, and you'll probably notice Joe Mauer and Victor Martinez. But A.J. Pierzynski will hit the market too and he'll have a case for a multi-year deal if he's as consistent as usual. 

That doesn't mean the White Sox won't bring him back, though. GM Kenny Williams told the Chicago Sun-Times that the team will check in with Pierzynski's representation at some point this season and the catcher has maintained that he would like to re-sign with the White Sox. If not, Tyler Flowers, now 24, could take on a bigger role.

Pierzynski has been remarkably durable and consistent this decade. He averaged 132 games and 12 homers per season from 2001-09, posting a .753 OPS. He's been worth two wins per season more than a replacement level catcher during his White Sox career. That beats Ivan Rodriguez, Jason Kendall and Bengie Molina (though WAR's analysis of catcher defense is incomplete). Those three catchers are also older than Pierzynski, who is just 33, but they all got guaranteed contracts worth $4.5MM or more.

That proves that teams are willing to pay for dependable catchers, even if they're in their mid to late thirties. As a 33-year-old with a history of health and a decent bat, Pierzynski should be in position to command a multi-year deal, even if though it won't approach the one Joe Mauer will sign.
Share 3 Retweet 0 Send via email0

Chicago White Sox A.J. Pierzynski

El Duque Wants To Pitch In The Majors Again
Main
Are Mutual Options Baseball’s New Fad?
View Comments (19)
Post a Comment

19 Comments

  1. Guest 2141

    15 years ago

    I don’t know how easy it will be for A.J. to get a starting job when he hits the free agent market. Then again, The Royals did give Jason Kendall two years.

    Reply
    • Brian M

      15 years ago

      I think it will be REMARKABLY easy for AJ to find a starting gig and not only that it will be a multi-year deal.

      Reply
  2. vtadave

    15 years ago

    “Pierzynski should be in position to command a multi-year deal, even if though it won’t approach the one Joe Mauer will sign.”

    So you’re saying 2 yrs $9 million is less than 10 yrs $200 million give or take? 🙂

    Reply
  3. baconslayer09

    15 years ago

    A.J.’s not coming back. Flowers is the next catcher of the organization and his future looks pretty good.

    I really enjoyed having A.J. in Chicago because you always hate him when he’s on the other team.

    A.J. should be able to find a job somewhere for $3-4 million a year for 2-3 years, hopefully in the NL.

    Reply
    • Guest 2142

      15 years ago

      I think it has to be an AL team. I’m going to say a one year deal with either the Jays or Rays for 4MM.

      Reply
    • Andrew

      15 years ago

      I wouldn’t completely bank on “A.J. out / Flowers in.” The White Sox are looking at a “win-now” window for the 2 or 3 seasons. I wouldn’t be the least bit suprised if Flowers was used as trade bait this season.

      Reply
      • lefty58

        15 years ago

        Kenny desperately wants/needs to do something with Flowers before HGH testing starts in the minor leagues. Once a player has MLB time, he is exempt from minor league testing, so either Flowers is traded or brought up to circumvent the drug policy. One more bad drug result for Flowers and he has no value left.
        Flowers is a likely replacement for Konerko, but I would never expect to see him catch on a MLB team.

        Reply
  4. BoSoxSam

    15 years ago

    I have never liked A.J. For some reason I thought he was a lot older than that though, so maybe he’ll get a nice deal. Numbers aren’t bad…ick he’s annoying though 😛

    Reply
  5. empathizerightonyourbehind

    15 years ago

    this may be the only chance we get, post-cobb, to see “times punched” written into the incentive language of a contract.

    Reply
  6. Brian M

    15 years ago

    I think the white sox should not overlook how incredibly valuable AJ Pierzynski has been to this organization. It terms of managing a pitching staff and showing incredible baseball instincts and knowledge Pierzynski is TOP NOTCH! It honestly like having another manager out there on the field leading his staff in the right direction. All of his antics aside, AJ is an asset to the White Sox and one of the smartest signs they’ve ever made. I will say this, without AJ the sox would not have been in position to win that historic world series championship, I believe this to my core.

    Reply
  7. soxluv

    15 years ago

    I can’t imagine AJ in a non-Sox uniform.

    Reply
    • Encarnacion's Parrot

      15 years ago

      What about Red Socks?

      Reply
      • soxluv

        15 years ago

        I’m not familiar with that team.

        Reply
  8. nelso139

    15 years ago

    what you guys think of aj in a Seattle Mariners uniform? They need a decent hitting catcher still..

    Reply
  9. 0vercast

    15 years ago

    A.J. would be a welcome addition to just about any team. Mets maybe?

    Reply
  10. lefty58

    15 years ago

    If you just look at the ability to catch, AJ is as bad as they get. His throwing is not far behind.

    Reply
    • lug

      15 years ago

      Yeah you are just flat out wrong on this and i doubt you either watch or have ever watched him catch. Admit it you don’t like him it’s OK, he can deal with it. You mean nothing to him. Ha ha that was mean but seriously you prolly watch baseball like 4 times a year if you really believe this. White Sox SP’s over the past 5 years outside of Buehrle just were not good at holding runners. AJ’s arm is not powerful but his game management and abilities are top notch. Jose Contreras was slow motion to the plate and I might be able to pick up a few SB’s with that guy on the mound.

      Reply
    • JimBaily

      15 years ago

      As much as I hate to agree with you on this one, I am a season ticket holder with seats 10 rows off the field and half way to first base. Every game we bet on how many pitches AJ will handle clean per inning and it’s alway less than half of the opposing teams catcher. I used to try to defend his throwing abilities off on the pitching, but have seen him look bad with too many pitchers to defend him any more.

      AJ does though bring something to the game that many catchers don’t, he calls a good game and is reasonably good with the bat. Somehow he makes the most out of his abilities and does bring a value to his team every game.

      Reply
  11. Steve Espinosa

    15 years ago

    Here is what I can see happening. Kenny checks in with his agent and they give a home town discount for a 3 year deal and AJ is doing great like he did last year.

    They then trade flowers mid season for a big bat and keep AJ.

    OR

    AJ is expecting more money than Kenny wants, they let Tyler develop and bring him up next season. Either way it will result in a new player being in a Sox Uniform within the next year.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Please login to leave a reply.

Log in Register

    Top Stories

    Stuart Sternberg Has Agreed To Sell Rays To Patrick Zalupski, Deal Expected To Be Final By September

    Nationals Select Eli Willits With First Pick Of 2025 Amateur Draft

    2025 MLB Draft, First Round Results

    Red Sox Place Hunter Dobbins On 15-Day IL Due To ACL Tear

    Astros Promote Brice Matthews

    Red Sox Likely To Activate Alex Bregman Tomorrow

    Phillies Reportedly Targeting Controllable Relievers

    Yankees Prioritizing Pitching, Also Searching For Infield Help

    Orioles Trade Bryan Baker To Rays

    Yankees Release DJ LeMahieu

    Trevor Williams To Undergo UCL Surgery

    Nationals Fire PBO Mike Rizzo, Manager Dave Martinez

    Brewers Activate Brandon Woodruff

    Clarke Schmidt Expected To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

    Bobby Jenks Passes Away

    Braves Release Alex Verdugo

    Top 40 Trade Candidates For The 2025 Deadline

    Rays Reinstate Ha-Seong Kim

    Yankees Have Shown Interest In Ryan McMahon

    Royals Interested In Bryan Reynolds

    Recent

    Travis Jankowski Elects Free Agency

    Twins Acquire Noah Davis

    Orioles Outright David Bañuelos

    Stuart Sternberg Has Agreed To Sell Rays To Patrick Zalupski, Deal Expected To Be Final By September

    Adolis Garcia Drawing Trade Interest

    Poll: Who Will Win The 2025 Home Run Derby?

    Royals Place Michael Lorenzen On Injured List

    Yankees Claim Rico Garcia

    Blue Jays, Joe Mantiply Agree To Minor League Deal

    Submit Your Questions For This Week’s Episode Of The MLBTR Podcast

    MLBTR Newsletter - Hot stove highlights in your inbox, five days a week

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • Sandy Alcantara Rumors
    • Luis Robert Rumors
    • Alex Bregman Rumors

     

    Trade Rumors App for iOS and Android App Store Google Play

    MLBTR Features

    MLBTR Features

    • Remove Ads, Support Our Writers
    • Front Office Originals
    • Front Office Fantasy Baseball
    • MLBTR Podcast
    • Trade Deadline Outlook Series
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Agency Database
    • MLBTR On Twitter
    • MLBTR On Facebook
    • Team Facebook Pages
    • How To Set Up Notifications For Breaking News
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors

    Rumors By Team

    • Angels Rumors
    • Astros Rumors
    • Athletics Rumors
    • Blue Jays Rumors
    • Braves Rumors
    • Brewers Rumors
    • Cardinals Rumors
    • Cubs Rumors
    • Diamondbacks Rumors
    • Dodgers Rumors
    • Giants Rumors
    • Guardians Rumors
    • Mariners Rumors
    • Marlins Rumors
    • Mets Rumors
    • Nationals Rumors
    • Orioles Rumors
    • Padres Rumors
    • Phillies Rumors
    • Pirates Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Rays Rumors
    • Red Sox Rumors
    • Reds Rumors
    • Rockies Rumors
    • Royals Rumors
    • Tigers Rumors
    • Twins Rumors
    • White Sox Rumors
    • Yankees Rumors

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives
    • RSS/Twitter Feeds By Team

    MLBTR INFO

    • Advertise
    • About
    • Commenting Policy
    • Privacy Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

    Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

    hide arrows scroll to top

    Register

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version