St Louis Cardinals sign veteran catcher A.J. Pierzynski

The St Louis Cardinals have signed veteran catcher A.J. Pierzynski to take over for the injured Yadier Molina behind the plate.

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Molina is expected to be out until at least mid-September with a thumb injury.

The Cardinals could not get enough offense out of George Kottaras (.269, three homers) or Tony Cruz (.220, 0 homers, 11 RBI), so they needed an upgrade.

Enter Pierzynski, who was released by the Boston Red Sox on July 16th after signing a one year, 8.25 million dollar deal in the offseason.

The Red Sox got a .254 average, four homers, and 31 RBI from the veteran before his release. His defense has suffered this year, as he only threw out 19 percent of would-be base stealers.

Molina threw out 49 percent.

Which begs the question: Is Pierzynski really enough of an upgrade to keep the Cardinals in playoff contention? He is definitely an offensive upgrade over Cruz, but how long will the Cardinals put up with his sub-par defense?

After Piersynski was released by the Red Sox, several anonymous players blasted him in the media for being a “negative influence”. This is nothing new. He has worn out his welcome in Minnesota, San Francisco, and Chicago throughout his career.

The 37 year old Pierzynski was drafted by the Twins in the third round of the 1994 draft. The Twins dealt him to San Francisco after the 2003 season for Boof Bonser, Francisco Liriano, and Joe Nathan. He was released by the Giants just one year later.

A month later, Pierzynski signed with the White Sox, where he spent eight seasons before signing with the Texas Rangers in the 2012 offseason. He lasted one year in Texas before being signed by Boston.

The Cardinals’ new toy is expected to be in uniform this afternoon at Wrigley Field against the Cubs.

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St Louis Cardinals sign veteran catcher AJ Pierzynski

By Mike Marteny | Jul 26, 2014