Red Sox are interested in AJ Pierzynski, Mark Trumbo
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| Photo Courtesy of the Globe |
Contributng Writer
The Red Sox are apparently showing interest in A.J. Pierzynski of the Texas Rangers and Mark Trumbo of the Anaheim Angels, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. If they don't re-sign Mike Napoli and Jarrod Saltalamachchia, these are 2 likely replacements at catcher and 1st base.
A.J. Pierzynski (pictured left) - The Sox are apparently looking at Pierzynski as a left-handed compliment to David Ross and scouts believe he could take advantage of the Green Monster according to Nick Cafardo. No contact has been made, according to Cafardo, but he is free agent and might be a cheaper alternative to Brian McCann, who is also on the Red Sox radar. He finished with a .272/.297/.425 slash line, 17 home runs and 70 RBI's according to ESPN. Pretty solid numbers, plus he's got plenty of experience behind the plate. He was also part of the Chicago White Sox 2005 championship run. So he knows what it takes to win, and that's a plus in my eyes if we can't hold on to Salty.
Cons: The only drawback is his age. He's 36 years old, but if we can sign him to a 1 or 2-year deal, then that's fine, but problems might emerge if he is looking for 3+ years.
Mark Trumbo - Trumbo is one possible replacement the Red Sox are looking at if they don't re-sign Mike Napoli. He had a slash line of .234/.294/.453 with 34 home runs and 100 RBI's, but he had 184 strikeouts according to ESPN, so he's got plenty of pop. And he's still in his prime at 27 years of age. He is still under contract until 2018, according to Cafardo, but he hints at putting together a trade involving one of Boston's 6 starters and Will Middlebrooks because Anahiem needs a pitcher and a 3rd baseman.
Cons: They only part of his numbers that worry me is his .234 average. Well, that and his 184 strikeouts. He's clearly a good power hitter, but I would like to see him focus on hitting for average more because he'll more than likely take Napoli's spot in the line up, which means he'd be hitting behind David Ortiz.
Thoughts? I know there are a lot of Red Sox fans that would like to see them re-sign Salty and Napoli, but would you guys like to see us go after these guys if they walk? Let me know on Twitter (@ConorJF1016) or leave a comment.
