9:10pm: The Blue Jays are not close to signing Pierzynski, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The White Sox still appear to be in the mix for the catcher.
6:42pm: The Blue Jays are close to signing A.J. Pierzynski, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. Even though John Buck signed with the Marlins and Miguel Olivo declined the team's offer of arbitration, the Blue Jays still have two capable catchers. Jose Molina will return in 2011 and J.P. Arencibia showed power in a late-season call-up and won Pacific Coast League MVP.
Pierzynski, 34 later this month, batted .270/.300/.388 with nine homers in 503 plate appearances this year. He is durable, having caught at least 128 games every season since 2001, but his offense slipped in 2010. He posted his lowest on base and slugging percentages since becoming a full-time player.
The Dodgers, Marlins and White Sox were among the teams interested in Pierzynski, who had a number of other potential suitors. Chicago did not offer the catcher arbitration, so he would not cost the Blue Jays a draft pick.
You have got to be kidding me…you may as well trade JPA if your not gonna play the kid..
I think AA is trying to create a catcher collection…
I don’t get it!!
Lets just hope this is to set up another trade and AJ spends about as long as Olivo did as a Blue Jay
This is the major leagues you are talking about here. I think Farrell wants a more experinced catcher too work with his pitchers.
Molina? Not even if Molina plays a lot but the fact that he’s a great mentor. You really think they should just send him down to AAA all over again at 24? No way that doesn’t make sense. I understand what you mean, but we have a lot of great guys surrounding this staff as it is, Farrell, Papi, and Molina (instrumental in Morrows development if you ask me).
JPA has not shown in any way that he is ready to take the full time job.
AAA MVP? or 11 games in mlb hitting 140 trumps a season of MVP at AAA
He played in an extreme hitters league too
AAA MVP? or 11 games in mlb hitting 140 trumps a season of MVP at AAA
Maybe that’s because he never got regular playing time?
Perhaps AA wants to have Pierzynski as the bullpen catcher. Also, is he related in any way to Rzepczynski?
Sometimes I wonder why the Rogers Center doesn’t fill its seats, and it’s comments like this that make me realize…oh wait…us Canadians no nothing about baseball.
AAA: .301 32 HR 85 RBI in 104 G for a catcher
Not to mention every sports analyst alive has quoted his debut as the best baseball has ever seen. The kid barely played, he proved what he’s capable of. I had a nice chat with Cito Gaston and he told me JP has one of the most gifted bats he’s ever seen in a catcher so don’t even start with saying he hasn’t earned his shot.
i guess it makes sense. Poor JP Arencibia..looks like he will never get a fair shake at things..even with Cito gone.
Let’s not freak out yet. Maybe Pierzynski will be the backup instead of Molina.
Or a left handed platoon with Aaron Cibia.
OR, J.P. Arencibia could be used as trade bait…B.J. Upton?
I look at this deal as a bad one, but he can call a good game…I guess
doubt the rays trade Upton within the division for anything short of an overpay. I could see Arencibia going to perhaps the….dodgers? Trayvon Robinson for JPA maybe? Dodgers get a catcher, jays get an outfielder. everyones happy
That trade makes 100% sense to me. Good thinking FM. Although The Jays might be able to get Dee Gordon for JPA. Gordon has equal trade value of Trayvon, simply because he regressed a great deal since his breakout campaign in ’09. I could see either player getable for AA.
JPA for Dee Gordon
JPA for Trayvon Robinson
Pick one.
Why would we want Gordon? And why would we trade Arencibia?
Jays have had enough mediocre catchers for a while and I’d rather they actually develop a good catcher for once. They got Perez and D’Arnaud in the minors but they are still at least 2-3 years away and there is absolutely no reason to trade Arencibia unless he is in a package for a stud player.
Why wouldn’t you want Gordon?
We have Escobar with the big club and Hech in the minors who is maybe another year or so away like Gordon and I’d rather keep a big league ready catcher.
My boy Adeiny isn’t completely a sure thing offensively, and Gordon is probably a 2B.
Gordon is overrated imo. He isn’t going to get any power probably and has show below average walk rates in the minors. I don’t think he is going to hit enough to stick in the bigs.
he has enough speed to hit .200 with just his legs. Think Micheal Bourn type player, only in the middle infield(noe i didn’t say shortstop). His best asset is easily his speed, not his power/walk rates.
or he could be another willy taveras.
haha true, but then again, any prospect could be a bust.
I just tend to be low on most speed first guys in the minors. It’s hard to find contact rates for them. But gordon has kept his K rate down which is good.
I just tend to be low on most speed first guys in the minors. It’s hard to find contact rates for them. But gordon has kept his K rate down which is good.
jays dont need anymore outfielders.
They don’t need any more catchers either.
And yet here we are.
better mean justin…
yeah your not getting Justin Upton for JP arencibia. maybe if Justin Upton broke both his feet and lost an eye.
part of a package obviously…no 1 prospect can get justin, but bj wouldnt make much sense for the jays collection in the outfield seeing as how the way he has played he wouldn’t be an upgrade
the signing could turn out well like the alez gonzales signing last summer
Except he wasn’t blocking anyone.
true say, hopefully we can trade him at the deadline
the non tender deadline tonight??? 😀 i hope so too
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Oh my god… why?
Some Jays fan should have pointed out that Cowley is retarded and suggested the Jays be moved to Venezuela…
Some Jays fan should have pointed out that Cowley is retarded and suggested the Jays be moved to Venezuela…
no no no no no play JPA
Get Dunn…lose A.J.
This is a bad move. Arencibia is more than capable of starting for the Jays this year. However, this signing could mean that Arencibia will be used as a trade chip. Maybe the Jays will be in the Greinke sweepstakes…
Or maybe the Diamondbacks see Miguel Montero as a 1B or JP as a 1B…JP, Snider, and Stewart for Upton?
That trade doesn’t actually fill a hole on the Jays’ roster.
I would hate that.
thats would be a horrid trade
Unless Molina goes to AAA it looks like Arencibia could be traded before the season starts.
Isn’t Pierzynski a type A?
Doesn’t matter. He wasn’t offered Arb.
damn, I thought the White Sox might sign him on the cheap
I hate it, AJ is my sentimental favorite. Maybe instead of pursuing Olivo, we can make a play for Martin if he is non-tendered?
The only reason for the Blue Jays to do this is they don’t think JPA will be the future and think (Perez, D’Arnaud and Jiminez) out of the three is their future catcher. Also, the reason to have 2 good veteran catcher is the young pitcher’s will gain knowledge and strategies from the experience of 2 former big time catchers in Molina and AJ.
This makes absolutely no sense. Ugh. I can’t cheer for Pierzynski!
well maybe he will lead our team in HBP this season? he looked good that one game at getting “hit” by a pitch
No doubt he would lead in imaginary HBPs.
I dont know, jeter may put up a strong fight in that category
I dont know, jeter may put up a strong fight in that category
agreed.. he is a scumbag.. plays the game with total disrespect
AA likes catchers…nuff said
Love it. You guys are all crazy. They receive 2 supplemental picks for the 2 catchers that moved on, and they get AJ, who is a lateral move from both Buck and Olivo (who are unlikely to repeat their seasons).
Love it.
All about acquiring assets.
I never once thought he was keeping Aaron Cibia and playing him this year. He will be in a package for a position player of need.
A.J. is 10 times worse of a defender than Buck and is worse offensively even if Buck has a bad season. Same goes for Olivo. We’re all crazy? okay…
Why, because John Buck had a good year? Averaged over their careers:
Player A: .243/.301/.421, 2.57 runs below average defensively per year (-7 -> -0.6 is the low/high mark).
Player B: .284/.324/.424, 0.54 runs below average defensively per year (-3 -> +2).
I’m sure it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that A is Buck and B is Pierzynski.
Pretty much the only thing Buck has over Pierzynski at this point is age. He’s likely to have at least a few decent seasons left as a catcher while AJ may well be beginning his decline, but to claim AJ is “10 times worse of a defender” is absurd and “worse offensively even if Buck has a bad season” is much more up in the air than you think it is. And I say this as somebody who can not STAND AJ Pierzynski.
I don’t like the move because of its probable effects on JPA, but let’s not get carried away here.
A.J. Last season:
Among qualified catchers
Worst OBP
Worst WAR
Worst BB%
Worst Runs created
Can’t hit a fastball
He had a bad year, but can’t hit a fastball??? Have you watched him over the last couple years…he can still get around on a fastball.
again judging one season.. FAIL
What’s your point? It’s still one season, just like Buck’s good year was just one season. If you want me to cherry-pick some statistics he also had the best K% and third highest batting average among the whopping seven qualified catchers which, by the way, does not include John Buck. (AJ is worse than Joe Mauer and Brian McCann? Say it ain’t so, FanGraphs!)If you don’t want to admit your statements about Pierzynski were gross exaggerations at best, well, that’s your business. I hate the guy, so I have no vested interest in arguing his merits.
What’s your point? It’s still one season, just like Buck’s good year was just one season. If you want me to cherry-pick some statistics he also had the best K% and third highest batting average among the whopping seven qualified catchers which, by the way, does not include John Buck. (AJ is worse than Joe Mauer and Brian McCann? Say it ain’t so, FanGraphs!)If you don’t want to admit your statements about Pierzynski were gross exaggerations at best, well, that’s your business. I hate the guy, so I have no vested interest in arguing his merits.
You sir, are wrong.
I think Mr.Cibia should be given a chance.
And im sure A.J.’s deal is short. Capable veteran who has had many “above average” years. And brings a little fire to the team as well.
Love it.
Weird signing….Whats next for the Jays – Manny ?
better yet, they will sign crawford and werth to “balance out the outfield”
Im kidding in case anybody takes this seriously
better yet, they will sign crawford and werth to “balance out the outfield”
Im kidding in case anybody takes this seriously
Not a bad move in my mind… AJ has a gritty, no nonsense demeanor, and he would give the jays clubhouse some personality. AJ should see a share of AB’s against righties, especially against the tough ones, and Farrell will probably give the rest of the AB’s to JPA. His track record has also shown that he has played for winning ball clubs and would be a great mentor to JPA.
Molina would obviously be sent down (as last season was a fluke hitting-wise)
he has one of the worst attitudes in the game, he is completely disrespectful and would cheat in a game of cards to beat his own grandmother… not the kind of veteran you want in a club house…
Maybe we DH him? He has a decent career BA, better than most of the current Jays hitters. This makes very little sense to me, I’d like to see JA start. Unless he gets used as a trade chip for someone big. Like Grienke or Upton.
You can’t possibly expect a guy with his stats to be a DH.
nooooooo
I like it JPA is not a good catcher if he wants to play let him earn it, split time with AJ work on his defence and play the hot hand, I hate Jp starting with molina backup thats not a playoff teams catchign scenario, He had one good offensive year in triple A and the organization thinks he has issues with his defense, i do not think he is a starting full time catcher right now
I agree he hit .143 in 11 games, hardly enogh track record to hand him the job.
I agree I was using his 2010 mlb numbers as reasoning for my point…. O wait I never mentioned that… and those 11 games he faced like 7 top ten cy young pitchers, I am saying he had one good offensive year in AAA and the org does not seem to have confidence in his defence so why send him to the wolves why not ease him in while he works on his defence
How can JPA earn it if you never let him play full time? By dominating AAA? Oh wait, he already did.
Maybe JA is trade bait for something bigger then? Or maybe AJ plays DH since he has a better career BA than most of the other jays.
LOL. AJP as a DH. Just LOL
Wow, this is another won the Sox let get away. Wake up Theo and smell the coffee! I thought AJ was going to go to one of the Sox. But know, the Red Sox sign Veritek. What are they thinking! This is a big plus for the Jays if it happens. AJ has some swagger which is what the Jays need.
Theo doesn’t want a guy with a .300 OBP. Goes against most everything he has tried to do with that team. No loss here.
simply going by his last year? fail… every player has a down season , he could bounce back just as easily… solid signing by the jays, JPA might not be ready yet and we can always bring him up in august/september depending on where the team is positioned.
yeah I guess his OBP could bounce back to his career .324 mark. Big change there.
jays OBP was .312 last year, I’d welcome pierzynski’s career average haha >< holy crap his last name is scary to spell. we should sign eric hinske too. rzepcynski, hinske, pierzynski, get greinke? I need more names!
to find him on fangraphs I played it safe and just searched AJ P
Hey common man it’s only a little bit behind league average 😉
name a better catcher out there right now?…….
Do you need a better catcher when you already have 2 on the roster?
2 words… Buster Posey. AJ will be gone at the deadline if JP shows he’s capable. Not to mention he had a down year and will probably net the Jays a B – B+ prospect.
Except JPA ain’t posey and he isn’t going to get the AB’s to prove he’s ready. If this is the move that keeps Manny from landing here so JPA can DH then ****!
No manager will turn a 24 year old catcher into a DH… not even John Gibbons. Who are you to say JP won’t be the next Posey. He won MVP of the PCL. I know it’s a hitters league but whatever. I’d compare stats like BB% but i’m not really interested. I believe they have similar skillsets but Posey better contact rate, Arencibia more power. Don’t turn your back on AA just yet. Have faith my fellow Jays fans.
Boobs Molina signs another year in San Fran, plays until Posey proves himself then is shipped off. That was the purpose of the original comment.
A rare head scratcher move from AA
just a thought but wt if he plays first this season, remember just a thought
he’s not an outstanding hitter by any means, why risk putting a guy at first who doesn’t play the position to get a mediocre bat? I would rather take the risk with Lind who has silver slugger capabilities and grab a legit DH
You play first base with a glove not a bat.
god you are dumb.. please allow me to get you caught up… The Jays are weary about putting Lind at first because of his lack of experience.. Lind is a far better hitter then AJ… so why would you put AJ there with his lack of experience and worse offensive capability and likely comparable defensive skills???
get it? sorry i didn’t walk you through it…
Yeah I’m dumb. You’re dumb for thinking that to be a first baseman you have to have a big bat. All I was saying is that it is stupid to think that to play first base well you need to be a good player offensively. That’s just moronic. You’re acting like Lind would not play if AJ is signed on the Jays an they would miss his bad. LIND WOULD PLAY ANYWAY THEY WOULD GET A DH ANYWAY.
You play first base with a glove not a bat.
NOOOOOOOOOOOO!¡!¡!¡
Let’s not freak out about this. It might be a signing similar to the Gonzo signing. A veteran player that could bring something to the clubhouse, something to the field, and be dealt near the deadline for someone young. There is a shortage of quality catchers out there. Imagine the Salty experiment fails in Boston, the trade value of someone like A.J. suddenly jumps up. A.J.P is good player. Curious to see what this would suggest for J.P.A.’s future.
my first thought about the trade was great, they at least took someone off the market from boston…corner them into spending money on russell martin
Not to mention the Sox will have to give up a draft pick to the Jays if they sign Olivo.
incorrect
good thing you didn’t mention it because Olivo is a B free agent.
Olivo is type B so the sox don’t have to give up a pick. Jays would get a supp pick though.
Thanks, I’m wrong and I admit it.
I’d have to think Arencibia might DH for a while. I know he is a not a typical DH but who cares, we are re-building and I could see him occasionally starting at 1st base. Similar to Posey situation, they may play him at catcher once they feel he is ready and it couldn’t to have 2 good defensive catchers mentor him for a while and a catching coach work with him personally.
I don’t think they will trade Arencibia nor should they. We haven’t had a future catcher since… ever and now when we do have one, you don’t trade him away especially when he is major league ready. They may see Perez or D’Arnaud as their future but those guys are at least 2-3 years away so you can’t depend on prospects that are far away from the big leagues.
Olivo to the Sox then hopefully. AJ is great at handling pitching staffs, yet not the greatest defensively. He’s been just average at the plate, gets a lot of clutch hits but he imo swings for the fences too often. Little strikeouts but even less walks.
Not too sad to see him go really.
Neither were the Royals to see Buck go but…
now hoepfully he gets konerko and jenks and okijima
Dang I was hoping the Twins would sign him and trade him to the Giants again
The value of a veteran catcher at the trade deadline is high… just about the same time when AJP is ready to take full time roll. AA knows what he is doing.
JP will never be ready to roll unless he’s thrown in at the deep end. And to be frank, now is as good a time as any to try. Any move for AJ has to have larger ramifications for Arencibia.
There are very few players I hate in the MLB more than this **** (choose which word you would like to insert)
Very P.O’d right now
that will fade when he starts helping the jays win. great move imo, jpa can be called up during august and slowly get his turn in the bigs, no reason to throw him out in the fire after 30 at bats, thats jsut silly.
But Arencibia should definitely be the starter. or at least given a chance to, damn.
Any possibility Molina gets sent to the minors?
Would make more sense to have Arencibia start and AJ back-up — it’s good that he is a lefty bat as well.
Pretty sure Molina has enough service time to block getting sent to the minors and become an FA. Of course maybe that’s not a problem for the Jays, if they were only picking up his option to have a failsafe in case they couldn’t get a better backup.
Based on previous moves AA doesn’t seem like the type of GM to throw a guy like Molina in the minors and let him waste away… The only possible explanation for a move like that would be to give the AAA staff a teacher behind the plate, but that doesn’t really make sense.
Hardly fits their mantra of being the place where people WANT to come and play, and execs and scouts WANT to work. They’ve said alot about treating people the right way, and Your scenario is treating Molina like poo. I guess we should ask Casey Fein what he thinks of the Jays for a good take on this one.
Maybe JP is the Jays first basemen this year.
they already stated his future is being a catcher, they wont play him at first… but who knows, opinions can change based on the market.
It makes little sense to play JP there over Lind. Lind is a good hitter with a track record in the bigs who can up his value by playing 1B; Arencibia is a catcher with next to no big league experience whose value would be degraded by moving him to 1B.
I see this like the Bengie Molina signing last year…a pretty good catcher who can mentor a young catcher (Arencibia… and in Molina’s case, Posey), and if the young catcher doesn’t develop right away, you have a security blanket, but if they do, you can trade the veteran mid-season
Thing is, they said that about Buck and Molina, and even the new coach Wakamatsu. At what point does it become less a case of JP needing mentoring, and more that the Jays want to ship him out?
Why would we sign AJ? Ricky Romero is just going to attack him when he sees AJ come in the room because he cheated to break up his perfect game…
Maybe JPA doesn’t project as well as you guys think he does.
The jury has always been out on JP, but he’s shown enough stuff in the minors to make most fans want to see for themselves what he can do in The Show.
Maybe JPA becomes our new third baseman??
JPA’s only real value is as a power hitting catcher. He won’t hit well enough at any other position most likely.
JPA’s only real value is as a power hitting catcher. He won’t hit well enough at any other position most likely.
use Pierzynski, then trade him mid-season, and put in Arencibia for the rest of the season. I think he would be ready
use Pierzynski, then trade him mid-season, and put in Arencibia for the rest of the season. I think he would be ready
Well, I’m going to start booing AJ again just because it’s the fashionable thing to do. But if Kenny’s plan is to hand the starting job to Tyler Flowers, we are royally screwed.
Well, I’m going to start booing AJ again just because it’s the fashionable thing to do. But if Kenny’s plan is to hand the starting job to Tyler Flowers, we are royally screwed.
Maybe… I’m just speculating, AA keeps AJ till the end of the year, hope he reaches Type A, offer him arbitration, and we reap 2 picks, while JPA gains experience from the veeteran AJ
Dude. For real? Who would sign him as a type A?
You nevva know, depends if another team signs a higher ranked type A then AJ and then sign AJ himself..
Maybe… I’m just speculating, AA keeps AJ till the end of the year, hope he reaches Type A, offer him arbitration, and we reap 2 picks, while JPA gains experience from the veeteran AJ
Do Not Want. UGH.
Cowley is a CLOWN. He called Canada a third-world country. Ignore everything he says, AA is not this stupid.
pierzynski is better then anyone else out there at this current time,if true , think its a solid move , no need to throw jpa into the fire jsut yet.
I kinda like it as a Jays fan.
He used to be pretty good. Perhaps a nice buy low?
With AA there are always moving parts in play!
“9:10pm: The White Sox are not close to signing Pierzynski, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The White Sox still appear to be in the mix for the catcher.”
Mr. Nicholson-Smith, I think you mean:
“9:10pm: The Blue Jays are not close to signing Pierzynski, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The White Sox still appear to be in the mix for the catcher.”
That’s what I just came to write… and I hope that’s true.
i’m having problems.
!!!!! just wanted I wanted to hear
well thats y they call it rumors , were all getting ahead of ourselves lmao
THERE IS A GOD! He just re-signed with Chicago. That was scary.
Ken Rosenthal reporting 2/8 for AJ with the White Sox. Please, please let this be true!
2/8 seems about perfect
Joe Cowley comes out looking like the fool that he is.
thank god !
How pathetic are you as a writer if not only does your report get smacked down by Rosenthal, the player then goes and signs with THE TEAM YOU COVER?! Oh Crowley…time for a new line of work.
Cowley is off the White Sox beat, he got promoted. He was totally punked on this one, I smell front-office revenge, he’s usually 100% accurate. 😀
I never wanted him anyway… 🙂
yea this never made any sense for jays unless they had a deal involving arencibia on the table, which according to the manager and based on the wakamatsu hiring is not going to happen.
MLBTR seems to be jumping the gun a lot lately.
Glad this was false. The last thing The Blue Jays need is AJ Pierzynsky and his prima donna attitude.