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A.J. Pierzynski

Johnny Damon Rumors: Wednesday

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11:06pm: Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune hears from a team source who says he can imagine Damon signing with the White Sox. "I think we have a good shot to get him now," the source said.

Another person discounted the importance of Damon's recent golf outing with Pierzynski and Harrelson.

6:26pm: Joe Cowley talks to Pierzynski about the Damon negotiations, and Cowley quotes an unnamed member of the White Sox who says "I would be surprised if [Damon] didn't sign with us.''

4:13pm: Rosenthal tweets that the present-day value of Chicago's offer to Damon is in the $4.5MM range, considering deferrals.  He's hearing that Damon doesn't want to go to the Tigers.  As for Damon's wife's preferences, the player texted to SI's Jon Heyman that "It's up to me.  She's going wherever I go."  Cowley tweets that the Sox "are going from long shots to frontrunners in the Damon sweepstakes the last few hours."

12:02pm: Rosenthal wrote yesterday that "some with the White Sox are confident that a deal with Damon could happen, and believe it might even be close."  Similarly, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times writes today that "the White Sox front office is feeling like they may have 'significantly' closed the gap between themselves and Detroit for the free agent's services."  However, Cowley has one source that still considers the Tigers the frontrunner.  Also, Scot Gregor of The Daily Herald believes the Braves are still in the mix.

8:50am: Yesterday we heard from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that free agent Johnny Damon played golf Monday with White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski and broadcaster Hawk Harrelson.  The Sox remain firm on their initial offer, one that could be slightly above $4MM according to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune.  SI's Jon Heyman tweeted this morning that White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf recently got involved in the Damon talks.  Gonzales notes that the White Sox-Scott Boras relationship appears to be thawing, given the Damon talks, the Andruw Jones signing, and the Sox drafting a Boras client in the 16th round of last year's draft.

Meanwhile, Lynn Henning of the Detroit News says the Tigers and Damon "appear to be moving, at less than full speed, toward a deal."  It seems that one of these two clubs will sign Damon, but it's difficult to peg a frontrunner.

White Sox Rumors: Jenks, Gonzalez, Konerko, Pierzynski

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MLB.com's Scott Merkin has a few White Sox hot stove notes…

  • GM Kenny Williams is not shopping closer Bobby Jenks and has not had any offseason trade talks about him.  However, Williams will listen at the Winter Meetings.
  • Williams said he never heard of last month's rumor about three-way trade talks for Adrian Gonzalez involving the White Sox, Padres, and Angels.  The rumor came from a source with no track record, and was quickly shot down, so it was never published on MLBTR.  That doesn't mean we should rule out the possiblity of the White Sox being interest in Gonzalez, though.
  • Williams is not thinking about extensions for Paul Konerko and A.J. Pierzynski, who are signed through 2010.

Pierzynski Hopes To Remain With White Sox

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MLB.com's Scott Merkin talked to White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski, who hopes to remain with the team after his current contract runs out:

"Hopefully, we have a great year as a team and they will be in a situation where they want to bring me back, because I would be all for it.  We haven't really talked about it, but everyone knows I would love to stay here and be a part of the White Sox for as long as I play.  That's something I'm not going to worry about. If they want to come and do something, we'll be more than happy to talk about it. At the same time, I'm prepared to let it play out and see what happens."

Merkin notes that Pierzynski's future will be tied to the progress of Sox catching prospect Tyler Flowers, who hit .286/.364/.438 in 119 Triple A plate appearances this year after raking in Double A.

Pierzynski, 33 in December, hit .300/.331/.425 in 535 plate appearances this year.  He's set to earn $6.75MM in 2010, finishing up a three-year deal.

White Sox Eyeing Henry Blanco

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If San Diego doesn't re-sign Henry Blanco before their exclusive negotiating window ends on Thursday, it appears as if there is at least one known suitor for the veteran catcher.  According to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune, Blanco's agent Steven Schneider singled out the White Sox as one of "several teams" who have shown interest in Blanco's services.

Blanco's role in Chicago would be to back up incumbent starter A.J. Pierzynski, with Blanco providing a natural right-handed hitting counterpart to the lefty Pierzynski.  The batting is secondary, however, to Blanco's defensive presence and ability to throw out runners.  Blanco threw out 40 percent of all runners attempting to steal on him in 2009.

The White Sox would be the eighth team that Blanco has played for in his 12-year career, but it wouldn't be his first time in Chicago.  Blanco's longest stint with any club was with the Cubs from 2005 to 2008, and Schneider told Gonzales that the catcher and his family enjoyed their time living in the Windy City.

Pierzynski Hopes To Stay With White Sox

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A.J. Pierzynski wants to stay with the White Sox when his deal expires after next season, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. Minor leaguer Tyler Flowers has been hitting well in the upper levels of Chicago's system, so Pierzynski understands that he may have to play elsewhere, as much as he enjoys playing for the White Sox.

"Things are out of my control," Pierzynski said. "I've been traded before. I've been released. I've been through it."

Six years ago the Twins traded him to the Giants to make room for Joe Mauer, who will also hit free agency after next season.

Stark On White Sox, Bedard, A’s, Penny

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A new Rumblings and Grumblings column from ESPN's Jayson Stark…

  • Even if they don't acquire Jake Peavy, the White Sox are apparently "open for business."  Stark takes that to mean names such as Jermaine Dye, Jim Thome, Paul Konerko, Octavio Dotel, and A.J. Pierzynski could hit the market.
  • The Mariners are not quite yet at the point of making Erik Bedard available.  They figure to price him like an ace if they do so.
  • If A's GM Billy Beane decides to fold on 2009, he could make veterans such as Matt Holliday, Orlando Cabrera, Jason Giambi, and Russ Springer available.
  • It's very unlikely that the D'Backs shop Brandon Webb this summer, since he'll be coming off a shoulder injury.
  • Indians GM Mark Shapiro seems to be leaning toward hanging on to Cliff Lee for now.  Shapiro may look to add pitching by trading Mark DeRosa or an outfielder.
  • The Red Sox are "actively listening" on Brad Penny.  My opinion: the Phillies, Indians, White Sox, or Mets could make sense.

Guillen Offers Updates at SoxFest

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8:30pm: Gonzales has another story up on the Tribune’s site with regard to Guillen and the Chicago White Sox.

Guillen said catcher A.J. Pierzynski will remain the No. 2 hitter in the lineup, according to Gonzales. Guillen also said Pierzynski will remain the primary catcher, which curbs suggestions that the Sox will go after free agent Ivan Rodriguez.

Guillen also reiterated what pitching coach Don Cooper has stated: Mark Buehrle, Gavin Floyd, John Danks and Bartolo Colon (if healthy) will man the first four rotation spots.

Indications are that prized left-hander Aaron Poreda has an excellent shot at making the Opening Day roster, even if he doesn’t beat out Clayton Richard or Jeff Marquez for the fifth starter’s spot, Gonzales writes.

Guillen told Gonzales that he expects Wilson Betemit to be capable of playing all four infield positions. That, and outside Jim Thome, the White Sox do not have a true backup first baseman for Paul Konerko.

Scott Merkin of MLB.com was also there. He notes that minor league director Buddy Bell said Beckham has the ability to play any position.

5:30pm: Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen told Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune that 2008 No. 1 pick Gordon Beckham will likely need to change positions.

Guillen expects Alexei Ramirez to be the team’s shortstop for the foreseeable future.

Ramirez, 27, hit .290/.317/.475 with 21 home runs and 77 RBI in 136 games in 2008 — his first year in the Major Leagues.

Of those 136 games, Ramirez spent time at second base (121 games) and at shortstop (16).

Odds and Ends: Hanley, Salcedo, Torrealba

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Time to round ’em up…

A.J. Pierzynski Extended Through 2010

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A.J. Pierzynski had his contract extended yesterday.  He’s already signed for next season, but is now slated to make $12.5MM over ’09-’10.  That’s a fair price, nothing special, and say what you will about Pierzynski’s decline in numbers this year (.309 OBP), I think he’s Ozzie Guillen’s kind of guy.

If for some reason you’ve never read about the Pierzysnki for Liriano, Nathan, and Bonser deal, I recommend a perusal of Tim’s full breakdown.  It’s a good read.

Posted by: Nat Boyle

Trade History: The Pierzynski Deal

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November 14th, 2003.  A day that will forever haunt Giants fans.  On that day, Brian Sabean dealt Boof Bonser, Francisco Liriano, and Joe Nathan to the Twins for A.J. Pierzynski and cash.  A year later, the Giants would release Pierzynski.  Bonser may become a tolerable fifth starter in the bigs, while Liriano and Nathan are among the very best starters and closers in baseball, respectively.

Hindsight is 20/20, right?  It’s easy to rip on Sabean several years later.  But was this like the Austin Kearns trade, where Wayne Krivsky was derided from the get-go?  Or did the Pierzynski deal seem OK at the time?  Let’s view this in context.

The 2003 San Francisco Giants used a combination of Benito Santiago and Yorvit Torrealba at catcher.  The result was a batting line of .270/.320/.412.  The average NL catcher hit .260/.328/.404 in ’03, so Santiago/Torrealba was tolerable.  The club won 100 games and the NL West.  However, they lost in the Division Series to the Marlins, who would of course go on to win the World Series.

The Giants traded for Pierzynski in November of ’03, and Torrealba would remain with the Giants in ’04 as his backup.  Santiago signed with the Royals that winter for two years and $4.3MM.  He would turn 39 before the season began.  Santiago popped up in the BALCO case in March of ’04 but seemed unfazed.  A broken hand from a hit-by-pitch knocked him out in late June, and he didn’t play for the Royals again.

Pierzynski was coming off a .312/.360/.464 season for the Twins, his best ever at age 26.  He was the sixth-best hitting catcher in the game in 2003.  His salary was due to rise several million dollars in arbitration and Joe Mauer was ready to go, so Terry Ryan explored his trade opportunities.  A deal to the Cubs for Andy Sisco was mentioned, and the Padres expressed interest too.  Ultimately A.J. became a Giant and slumped to .272/.318/.410, an offensive line that ranked 18th among backstops.

Brett Tomko called Pierzynski a "cancer" in May of ’04, calling for Yorvit Torrealba to take over.  The Giants still considered a multiyear deal after the season, but then decided to go with Mike Matheny and let A.J. go.

Bonser was ranked 29th on Baseball America’s 2002 Top Prospects list, right behind Jake Peavy.  A year later Rich Harden would earn the 29th spot, and Ervin Santana got the honors in ’04.  Bonser never made another list.  In ’03, he posted a 4.00 ERA in 135 Double A innings at age 21.  Bonser now projects as a fifth starter with the Twins.

Liriano was ranked 83rd on BA’s 2003 list, ahead of Taylor Buchholz and Wily Mo Pena but behind bums like Ben Kozlowski, Chris Gruler, Kris Honel, and Josh Karp.  Liriano was outranked on the list by teammates Jesse Foppert (4th), Jerome Williams (50th), Kurt Ainsworth (64th), and Todd Linden (82nd).  Shoulder injuries limited Liriano to just nine innings in 2003.  It was clear he had potential, but Liriano was anything but a lock.  Just another in a long line of hard-throwing pitching prospects.

Joe Nathan never made an appearance on a Baseball America top prospects list.  Drafted in 1995 in the sixth round, Nathan reached the Majors at age 24 in 1999.  He made 14 starts for the Giants and had ugly marks in home runs allowed, free passes, and strikeout rate.  Many teams approached Sabean about Nathan in the winter of ’99-’00, but he was regarded as untouchable. 

Nathan started working on a changeup in 2000 while making 15 starts for the Giants.  His numbers were even worse, as walks increased.  He spent time on the DL with shoulder tightness that summer, but Dusty Baker made sure to get him right back out there ASAP.  His shoulder caused a second DL stint in July.  Surgery was considered, but Nathan ultimately took a cortisone shot and resumed pitching.  The injury recurred a third time, causing Nathan to sit out the playoffs.  Way to go, Dusty!  Nathan had shoulder surgery in October of that year.

His velocity down to the mid-80s in ’01, Nathan toiled in Triple A until June before earning a demotion to Double A.  Things improved a bit before the end of the season, and he was in the low 90s by the spring of ’02.  He pitched poorly that year in Triple A but got a September call-up anyway.

In the spring of ’03, Nathan finally gave up starting and managed to earn a job with the Giants as a setup man for Tim Worrell out of spring training.  He started the season with a 22 inning scoreless inning streak.  After winning 12 games and posting a 2.96 ERA in 79 innings in his first season as a reliever, he became a major component of the Pierzynski trade.

At the time, here’s how I think each player was evaluated:

Liriano: interesting raw prospect with major injury concerns
Bonser: impressive young starting pitching prospect whose stock fell a bit in ’03
Nathan: converted starter coming off his best season; history of shoulder problems
Pierzynski: one of the game’s best-hitting catchers entering his prime with several seasons before free agency

Pierzynski was a coveted young backstop, and Sabean really only gave up one bona fide Major Leaguer to get him.  Back in November of 2003, this looked like a deal that would benefit both teams.  Liriano and Nathan could’ve easily been lost to the injury abyss and we wouldn’t be talking about this.

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