Kuzul

The New York Yankees look to replicate the pitching success they enjoyed down the stretch and in the playoffs this past season.

They agreed to bring both starter Andy Pettitte and the greatest closer of all time, Mariano Rivera, back to the team for the 2013 MLB season.

Pettitte, who made his season debut on Mother’s Day, was limited to just 12 starts thanks to an ankle fracture. He pitched very well in his return to the majors after retirement in 2011, pitching to a 2.87 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and a 146 ERA+. He also pitched well in the playoffs, allowing just five runs in 13.2 innings.

Rivera pitched just nine games this season, out since May due to a freak accident during batting practice, tearing his ACL. However, he immediately decided that he would not retire and would work his way back. 

Both moves, along with Hiroki Kuroda returning last week, make the Yankees pitching staff again a threat when healthy. The pitching staff showed what it was capable of in this past postseason and hope to replicate this success for the entire 2013 baseball year

The offense, on the other hand, is still a work in progress, and now has suffered a setback.

Russell Martin, the replacement to longtime Yankee catcher Jorge Posada, left the Bronx for the Pittsburgh Pirates, signing a two-year deal worth $19 million. Martin spent the past two seasons with the Yankees, hitting .224 over a 258 game stretch. 

Despite the poor numbers, this a huge loss for the Yankees, as they also lose one of the best defensive backstops in the game. They must make a decision and perhaps some reactionary moves to solve this situation. 

The Bronx Bombers are now without a starting catcher, with the depth of catchers on the roster currently as follows:

Chris Stewart: .241/.292/.319/.611 in 2012 with the Yankees

Francisco Cervelli: .246/.341/.316/.657 in 99 games at Triple A Scranton/Wilkes Barre

Austin Romine: Injuries cut him to just 31 games and 120 plate appearances

None of these players are suitable options to start, and only passable options as backups. The Yankees cannot afford to have this kind of depth on Opening Day. Martin only got a two-year deal, as did former Braves backup David Ross with the Boston Red Sox.

So, the best options that remain are former Los Angeles Angel of Anaheim and Texas Ranger Mike Napoli and longtime Chicago White Sox backstop AJ Pierzynski. 

Napoli is the cream of the free agent catcher crop, coming off five straight seasons with over 20 home runs. He had his best season in 2011, hitting 30 bombs and putting up a line of .320/.414/.631/1.046. He was an All-Star for the first time this past season.

Pierzynski had the best season of his 15-year career, setting new career highs in home runs, RBI, slugging percentage, OPS and OPS+. He also took home his first Silver Slugger award. 

However, there are problems coming if the Yankees bring either in. Napoli is a very poor defensive catcher, and you can’t put him at first base at all as long as Mark Teixeira is in the lineup. He can still double as a regular in the Yankees’ rotating DH system. But he also is looking for a pretty big deal.

Pierzynski is turning 36 next month, and is a huge risk given his age and the money he may want based on his contract year. Not exactly a guy the Yankees may want based on their plans for the future. 

However, it seems the Yankees may have to bite the bullet. In all honesty, nobody thinks either Napoli or Pierzynski are plans for the long-term future. Heck, neither is Russell Martin.

This has all been about covering the gap between the Jorge Posada era of Yankee catching history to his eventual heir. Jesus Montero is gone, and Austin Romine, Gary Sanchez and J.R. Murphy are still at least a year away from being able to step in as the starting backstop for the next several years.

The Yankees are an aging team with not too many prospects coming very soon. The organization also plans on spending even less than they have for so many years starting in the 2014 season.

This is obviously a reaction to the declines and long-term deals of Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez and CC Sabathia. The Yankees do not want anymore of those contracts on their payroll in the long-term.

However, the Yankees also have plenty of money to spend, with the departures of Martin, closer Rafael Soriano, and outfielder Nick Swisher, a grand total of almost $30 million between the three. 

That is the reason why not bringing back Russell Martin makes so little sense. He only got two years from Pittsburgh, and will only paid an average of $8.5 million, which is the same amount he earned this season. 

So now, the Yankees are forced to fill their spot at catcher with a high-priced free agent (Napoli, Pierzynski) or go with minor league talent (Stewart, Cervelli) in order to eventually bring up one of the three prospects they have still in their farm system.

The Yankees are in this dilemma because of themselves. They have time, but they cannot dawdle, because the remaining options could run out at any time. 

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The New York Mets will be looking to make a number of changes this offseason. Rumors about the players that the Mets are interested in pursuing this winter have already come to light, and there are certainly some interesting players mentioned.

New York has already made what will likely be their two biggest moves of the offseason. Both David Wright and R.A. Dickey had their options for the 2013 season picked up by the Mets (h/t Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports).

Pitching, outfield help and a catcher will be three of the Mets’ largest priorities this winter. The Mets have a number of pieces in place, and with the right moves, they could be a team that contends for the Wild Card in 2013 if things go right.

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What a difference a day can make for a baseball team during the offseason.

The Chicago White Sox went from watching the reigning American League Central champ Minnesota Twins earn a right to talk to the “next Ichiro,” to the Detroit Tigers signing Victor Martinez to bat behind Miguel Cabrera, to arguably becoming the best team in the division with one swoop of signings.

Two days ago, the White Sox were a team with no catcher, no first baseman, no DH and a lineup that would feature Alex Rios and Carlos Quentin in the middle power positions.

With an awful defense, the White Sox were going to ask a whole lot from the team’s pitching staff to simply compete.

It looked as though the White Sox would be drowning at the bottom with the Cleveland Indians and Kansas City Royals rather than swimming to the top with the Tigers and Twins.

After parting ways with closer Bobby Jenks, the White Sox signed Adam Dunn to a four-year, $56 million deal, adding a left-handed power bat to the lineup.

We’ve seen the numbers. His worst on-base percentage of his career in a full season was last season at .356. He’s the only guy in baseball who has hit 38 home runs or more in the last seven seasons. He takes pitches, hits bombs, walks and strikes out a lot.

Dunn is entering a hitter’s ballpark, but changing from the National League to the American League, which generally is not good for any player. However, in interleague play, Dunn hit .247 with 36 home runs and an OBP of .362 in 478 bats in 134 games. Switching leagues shouldn’t be a huge problem.

What was the problem for White Sox fans was whether or not Dunn’s glove would be anywhere near the field.

Well, as soon as Dunn was signed, the return of Paul Konerko rumors began. GM Kenny Williams has stated that the White Sox have the resources to bring back Konerko.

Latest MLB rumors had Konerko being eyed by the Arizona Diamondbacks, Baltimore Orioles and the Chicago Cubs. The Diamondbacks, however, recently withdrew from Konerko.

News out of Konerko camp was that the Orioles offered Konerko a significant deal, however, having Dunn batting behind you with the team you’ve played for for the last 12 seasons could be hard to pass up, especially in favor of the lowly Orioles.

The grape vine passed a note to this girl in class who whispered to my best friend that Konerko could sign with the White Sox today (Friday).

Rumors aside, the White Sox may have to wait until the winter meetings to go after Konerko, as he is logically going to test the waters.

Rumors moved from aside to in front of us, if the White Sox bring him back, Konerko would sure up keeping a glove away from Dunn, which is huge for the White Sox defensively.

Williams has said the White Sox are going “all in” this season, which seems to mean they are going to spend more than expected. One would think, Konerko, being 34, will not leave unless it is for a contender and with the Yankees going after Cliff Lee, the Red Sox having David Ortiz and the Angels and Rays showing no interest, his best option seems to be Chicago for a little less money.

Then again, athletes tend to surprise everyone, which makes following them such a joy. 

Which leads us to the final question among White Sox faithful. Who is going to be catching for this team?

Well, that was also answered late last night, as the White Sox re-signed A.J. Pierzysnki to a two-year, $8 million deal.

Although he can’t always hit nor can he throw out batters, the man can call a game behind the plate and has worked with the entire White Sox pitching staff, which is a tough thing to replace.

A lineup of:

Juan Pierre
Gordon Beckham
Alex Rios (perhaps Dunn)
Paul Konerko
Adam Dunn (perhaps Rios)
Carlos Quentin
Alexei Ramirez
A.J. Pierzynski
Mark Teahen

with a starting staff of:

Mark Buehrle
Jake Peavy (Chris Sale if Peavy is out)
John Danks
Gavin Floyd
Edwin Jackson

doesn’t look too shabby.

But, and there has been this but for most of the decade for White Sox fans, is this team good enough to beat the Minnesota Twins?

Unfortunately, that question will have to wait.

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Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times has just reported that the Blue Jays could be close to signing catcher A.J. Pierzynski, formerly of the Chicago White Sox.  With the catching position not fully determined, the Jays seem to be looking for insurance behind the plate.  Chicago didn’t offer arbitration to Pierzynski, so the signing would not cost the Blue Jays a draft pick.

J.P. Arencibia didn’t get a lot of experience calling the game at the major league level last year, so he might not yet be ready, and Jose Molina is there as a back-up only.  

The durable 34-year old catcher fell off offensively somewhat this past year, as he batted .270/.300/.388 with nine homers in 503 plate appearances.  

Admittedly, Pierzynski seems like a strange choice for the Blue Jays.  The veteran is both an above average defender and batter, but he is known for his rather controversial (some would say abrasive) personality.  

The Blue Jays have a strong bond in their dugout, especially with their pitching staff, so it would make sense to question whether his style of play would meld with the personalities already present.  

With the young starters forming a strong bond this past season and excelling on the mound, it is important to have a catcher that can work with them and continue their development.  

Anthopoulos is no doubt aware of this and wants to take no chances on having someone dependable at catcher.  Pierzynski has been around a long time, and his experience in dealing with pitchers and calling games cannot be underestimated.

Update: A few hours after Cowley reported that Pierzynski was close to signing with the Blue Jays, Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports denied that was the case and instead said that the veteran catcher was close to signing a two year deal with the White Sox.

Whether the Jays were actually close to signing Pierzynski remains to be seen, but once again leaves the catcher position somewhat unstable.  There is a chance they could still offer a contract to Miguel Olivo, who they obtained from Colorado but didn’t offer arbitration to.  Or, the Blue Jays could stand pat with what they have, and see how Arencibia and Molina perform together in spring training.

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The same three-word phrase keeps popping into my head during every White Sox game: “hard to watch.”

It’s gotten to the point where something has to change.

Now I’m not talking about a small change, like releasing Mark Kotsay IMMEDIATELY.

A change like that would be welcomed, but it wouldn’t be enough to jump-start this team.

The change I’m talking about is trading one or two veterans right now and infusing younger talent into the lineup.

Candidate No. 1 to be dealt is A.J. Pierzynski. A.J. has struggled mightily thus far. Going into today’s game, he sports a .198 average with two home runs and 11 RBI.

Now, I know he’s a “leader” on this team. However, my question is, what is he leading? The lineup isn’t hitting, so he’s clearly not leading them, and the Sox’s veteran pitching staff doesn’t need a veteran catcher to help them through the season.

It’s clear A.J. is expendable, and with Tyler Flowers waiting in AAA, now is the time to move A.J. while he still has some value to another club.

Moreover, what better time to bring up Flowers to take over at catcher than now, when the pressure isn’t on him to produce since the lineup as a whole already isn’t producing? Another benefit would be that he’d be able to learn and develop a rapport with veteran starters like Mark Buehrle and Jake Peavy that would carry over into next season.

Trading Pierzynski and bringing up Flowers makes too much sense for it not to happen sooner or later. With A.J. gaining five and 10 rights on June 14, it looks like it might be happening soon.

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Sources of the Chicago Tribune have said the Texas Rangers are interested in acquiring 33-year-old White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski via trade.

Pierzynski is best known for his role in carving together one of the best pitching staffs in MLB, dropping the White Sox ERA from 4.91 in 2004 to 3.61 in 2005, his first year with the team, leading to a World Series championship. Unless you watch ESPN, then he’s best known for causing controversy for playing baseball intelligently.

Pierzynski is in the last year of a $6.7 million contract and with White Sox prospect Tyler Flowers waiting in the wings and Pierzynski batting .200 with two home runs, 11 RBI and a .254 on-base percentage, it would seem as though this would be Pierzynski’s last year sporting a White Sox uniform.

The catch, however, is come June 14, Pierzynski will become a “5-and-10” man. Any player who has 10 years in the majors and five years on the same team has the right to veto any trade.

The White Sox essentially have little less than a month to move Pierzynski freely.

The Rangers, on the other hand, have been looking for a solid every-day catcher since Jarrod Saltalamacchia didn’t pan out. 

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