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