8:46pm: Pierzynski is already in Chicago and will join the Cardinals tomorrow, tweets Rosenthal. An announcement is expected before tomorrow’s game, which starts at 1:05pm CST, according to a tweet from Goold.
8:33pm: A deal appears to be close, Goold reports, with Pierzynski leaving a visit to Cooperstown for induction weekend, per Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Goold indicates that Pierzynski seems to be headed to meet the club in Chicago. Meanwhile, Kottaras has cleared his locker and left the club, though the precise transaction involving him remains unclear.
8:09pm: The Cardinals are working on a deal with free agent catcher A.J. Pierzynski, reports Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter). The recently-added George Kottaras would be the odd man out if a deal gets done, which Goold seemingly implies is likely.
Pierzynski was recently released by the Red Sox after struggling for much of the year. His line stands at .254/.286/.348 on the year, including only four long balls in his 274 plate appearances. That fell well short of the production that Boston expected when it landed Pierzynski on a one-year, $8.25MM deal.
St. Louis, of course, would presumably add Pierzynski at a league-minimum rate, leaving the Red Sox to pick up the rest of the tab on the backstop. The club seems in need of an additional option behind the plate after losing Yadier Molina for a significant stretch. Tony Cruz has seen the bulk of the action since Molina went down.
Of course, a move on Pierzynski would also have fallout on the rest of the trade deadline catching market. In particular, the team with the most obvious trade piece behind the dish — the Twins, who field veteran Kurt Suzuki — would lose a strong potential suitor. A report earlier today suggested that the Cardinals (along with the Orioles) were interested in the first-time All-Star.
charm heads to St. Louis?
Cardinals are in a panic…..even the Cubs can beat them.
Well the Cards have struggled at Wrigley the past few years, it’s not panic, it’s just how it’s been
Ever played Stratego? The Spy is the weakest piece in the game, incapable of beating anything…except the Marshall, the strongest piece in the game. If you imagine the National League as a game of Stratego, the Cubs are the Spy & the Cardinals are the Marshall. (Obviously from year to year that fluctuates; I mean overall historically.)
I love AJ, but it would be funny if his fueding teammate in Chicago and Boston follows him to St. Louis. Rumors are that’s where Jake Peavy winds up.
I thought he would wind up there as soon as Molina went down. He’s a winner. Great pick up by a great organization.
But the Cards are the greatest and classiest organization with the best fans ever and would never sign someone who doesn’t have impeccable character
It doesnt fit the organization at all. But, Cruz has been awful since taking over, and we hoard our prospects…
Yeah, fans that want to find a reason to hate the Cardinals are the only ones that cling to this. It’s obvious the front office only cares about winning. You know, like that “terrible” contract they gave to the SS with the 2nd highest WAR for a SS in all of baseball. Or bringing in Big Mac as hitting coach? I think it’s obvious the Cardinals don’t really care what the perception of them is.
Cheap rental to use as a stop gap. Great deal if the Cards can pull it off.
Wonder why they gave up on kottaras so quickly. At least we now know cruz is meant to be a back up.
Seattle Mariners should go after Kottaras for a pitcher like Logan Bawcom or Anthony Fernandez (change of scenery will help). He is a valuable backup to
Zunino during the last couple months before the playoffs and from there.
Eww.
If Jake Peavy’s been reading MLBTR, he’s super mad right now.
As a Redsox fan it’s a shame that AJ did not go to a team I dislike. Then I could have enjoyed watching him slowly cause them to collapse from within. Oh well, good luck Cards. Just don’t let him hit, catch or enter the clubhouse and it should be fine.
This is a Cardinals move for sure. Would rather sign a lesser player offensively and defensively than lose a prospect for a better player. I guess they are doing something right. Most wins in the NL over the last decade I believe. I assume they have passed Philly, but I could be wrong.
Good luck with that St Louis
Good signing. Of course he was a “cancer” to the Red Sox fans’. He was one their big FA signings this year that didn’t pan out. Which shows once again you gotta grow them instead of just throwing money at a wall. Another reason this signing is good. Keep your prospects and make small, low risk moves.