Terrerobytes: A.J. Pierzynski, White Sox part ways amicably

The World Series-winning catcher and the front office exchange best wishes and fond memories.

Eulogizing A.J. Pierzynski

Baseball's most-hated player used his powers of evil for good for most of his White Sox career, making an indelible stamp on the franchise in the process.

A.J. Pierzynski signs with the Rangers

Our beloved backstop is officially gone. The catcher is dead. Long live the catcher.

Offers A.J. Pierzynski could refuse

The first real rumors of the catcher's free agency might not be what he expected.

More catchers change teams while A.J. Pierzynski stands by

The R.A. Dickey trade between the Mets and Blue Jays sent four more catchers on the move.

Cashman checks in on Pierzynski, but nothing else is new

I thought we might be on the verge of some real A.J. Pierzynski news happening when Chuck Garfien tweeted:

So maybe AJ Pierzynski could return to the White Sox after all. Good stuff from @danhayescsn. bit.ly/UdP5Mq

— Chuck Garfien (@ChuckGarfien) December 5, 2012

So I went to Dan Hayes' story, where it's just a different way to say the same thing:

On Tuesday, one day after White Sox general manager Rick Hahn went out of his way several times to say the club hasn’t ruled out Pierzynski’s return, and amid swirling New York Yankees rumors, a baseball source confirmed the two sides continue to have dialogue. [...]

So while chances once appeared remote, and another source suggests they may still be, the possibility of Pierzynski’s return to the South Side next season still exists.

The Sox haven't ruled out Pierzynski's return since before he became a free agent, so he still could return to the White Sox. But Hahn didn't want to assign a number to its likelihood then, and nobody's putting a percentage on it now. So really, the prospect of Pierzynski's return is in the eye of the beholder. If you want it to happen, you can talk yourself into it. If you're ready for Tyler Flowers, you can find sentiment backing that up.

For instance, Jon Heyman tweeted this after Garfien:

#chisox figuring to go with tyler flowers as catcher. Pierzynski market remains mystery.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) December 5, 2012

See? Everybody's repeating themselves.

Still nothing new to report with A.J. Pierzynski

It's a little too early in Rick Hahn's career for reruns, but darn it if we aren't getting the same questions and answers about A.J. Pierzynski and Tyler Flowers as the former goes through free agency, and the latter waits to take his job. Via Doug Padilla:

"We aren’t there yet and we are still exploring other options, including A.J.," general manager Rick Hahn said Monday on the opening day of baseball’s annual winter meetings. "However, if in fact we wind up with Tyler as the Opening Day catcher, we think that we will not lose anything defensively and we have a good young hitter capable of hitting for power and getting on base fairly regularly, at a fairly healthy clip. It’s nice to have that option to fall back on."

That's pretty much the exact same thing he told The Score a month ago.

Pierzynski's market still vague, but Jon Heyman has a couple ideas

Now that Russell Martin has signed for two years and $17 million, this might finally start getting A.J. Pierzynski's market rolling among catcher-hungry teams. Right now, there hasn't been much buzz around a guy who set a career high in homers with 27, which is a surprise.

Adding to the oddness: The first team that pops up isn't a team that really needs a catcher. Take it away, Jon Heyman:

A.J. Pierzynski's market is quite the mystery, and some are suggesting the Dodgers could possibly make a surprise run at the veteran free-agent catcher.

It seems like something of a long shot considering the nice season A.J. Ellis had catching for the Dodgers in 2012, and Dodgers people are indeed painting Pierzynski as a remote possibility, at best.

The Dodgers have liked Pierzynski, since he almost signed there before the Sox arranged a 15-minute deal back in 2010. But Heyman wasn't done trying to put a market together for Pierzynski, as he later tweeted:

Yankees weren't looking too closely at pierzynski before martin left. would be a fit for new yankee stadium tho, for sure

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) November 30, 2012

"... the Golf Channel, of course. Where else would one hear the latest about A.J.?"

A.J. Pierzynski appeared on The Golf Channel's "Morning Drive" to talk about his appearance in an upcoming pro-am tournament. More of interest to a baseball audience, he talks about his free agency experience starting around the 9:30 mark:

Sometimes these non-baseball-media appearances are insightful, because these shows will ask questions that seasoned baseball reporters know they won't get answers to. In this case, Kelly Tilghman straight-up asks him where he'd want to play if any situation were the right one. He answers it: the Atlanta Braves.

Although, they already kinda got a guy there.

Report: Mets interested in Tyler Flowers

In the event the White Sox would retain A.J. Pierzynski, it's hard to see how the Sox could keep Tyler Flowers in the backup role. He's worthy of part-time duties, not barely-any-time duties, and the Sox have said as much.

They might not be the only team that thinks so, either. According to the New York Post:

The Mets could also go the trade route for a catcher, as the team seeks either a starter or, at minimum, a right-handed bat to pair with Josh Thole. White Sox backup Tyler Flowers is of some interest to the Mets, according to a source. But the White Sox also might not be in a hurry to deal a catcher with last year’s starter, A.J. Pierzynski, on the free-agent market.

Flowers has second chance to take Pierzynski's place

It seems like one White Sox catcher won't be returning in 2013, and the money is on the guy making more money.

Youkilis, Pierzynski, Liriano make MLB Trade Rumors' Top 50 Free Agents list

Over at MLB Trade Rumors, Tim Dierkes listed his top 50 free agents of the offseason with his predictions for their landing spots. Kevin Youkilis, A.J. Pierzynski and Francisco Liriano each made the cut:

27. Kevin Youkilis - Phillies. Youkilis' numbers have been trending downward, but the third base market is terrible and he could still secure a multiyear deal. The Phillies have the need, though signing both Upton and Youk would put them near their limit. The Orioles, Dodgers, and Indians are other options if the White Sox don't re-sign Youkilis.

28. Francisco Liriano - Red Sox. Liriano posted a 5.34 ERA in 2012, walking five batters per nine innings. He had the same ugly walk rate in 2011. Nonetheless, his 2006 and 2010 seasons are tantalizing, and the 29-year-old can probably be had on a one-year deal. All kinds of teams will line up to try to fix him; the Padres, Blue Jays, Cubs, Royals, and Astros seem like good fits as well.

30. A.J. Pierzynski - Rangers. Pierzynski, 36 in December, put on a surprising power display in 2012 with a career-high 27 home runs. He slugged .412 on the road, though, and that's a reasonable projection moving forward. It's difficult to picture A.J. leaving the Sox, though he nearly signed with the Dodgers during the 2010-11 offseason before owner Jerry Reinsdorf stepped in. The White Sox could give the catching job to Tyler Flowers, while Pierzynski could replace Napoli in Texas.

Rick Hahn on free agents: No qualifying offers

During a conference call centered on discussing Jake Peavy's contract extension, new White Sox GM said he wasn't going to give qualifying offers to any of the four remaining free agents. He did have some more detail to add on their statuses as they embark into the open market:

Kevin Youkilis and Brett Myers: Hahn said he had "a really nice conversation" with Youkilis when calling to let him know they weren't exercising his option, and he did the same with Brett Myers, saying, "We'd like to have both of them back," but the elements weren't in place to get something done as quickly as the Sox could with Peavy.

Third base remains a question mark with or without Youkilis, because he didn't give any indication about Brent Morel's stock. When asked about if the potential starter at third, Hahn said, "We will see. It's Oct. 30th."

A.J. Pierzynski: Like Youkilis and Myers, Pierzynski is at the point where the Sox will let him talk to other teams and report back about his market value.

Free agent outlook: A.J. Pierzynski

The longtime White Sox catcher boosted his stock with a career year at the plate. Will that be enough for other teams to warm up to him?