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MLB Free Agency 2013: Yankees Negotiating to Sign A.J. Pierzynski as New Catcher

December 4, 2012   ·     ·   Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees

We all wondered what the Yankees would do to fill the void at their catcher spot.

New York’s catcher of the last two seasons, Russell Martin, signed a two-year, $17 million deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates this past Friday.

Former Texas Rangers catcher Mike Napoli, another name that was linked to the Yankees, signed a three-year, $39 million deal with the Boston Red Sox this week.

That leaves one more big name on the free-agent market, and according to Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune, the Yankees are currently negotiating with former White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski (via Twitter):

 

 

The 35-year-old catcher has spent the last eight years in Chicago and was a fan favorite because of his gritty play and hard-nosed approach to the game.

In 2012, Pierzynski hit .277 with 27 home runs and 77 RBI in 135 games for the White Sox.

Getting Pierzynski would be an upgrade on offense over Martin and personally I think this is the kind of player the Yankees really need.

Like I said before, Pierzynski is as tough and hard-nosed of a baseball player as they come. The Yankees need to inject a little toughness that Jorge Posada once possessed when he was the team’s backstop and vocal leader.

Pierzynski had a career year on offense and he might be able to continue that trend while hitting in Yankee Stadium. Defensively, he’s is still a very good defensive catcher who is also very durable.

I think this would be a great signing if Yankees GM Brian Cashman lands him during the baseball Winter Meetings in Nashville, and I know a lot of people on here have been pushing for the Yankees to do so.

We’ll all wait to see what turns out from this, but some of you might get your wish as far as which catcher you wanted in pinstripes.

Stay tuned, Yankees Universe.

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