St. Louis Cardinals sign A.J. Pierzynski

Oct 1, 2012; Cleveland, OH, USA; Chicago White Sox manager Robin Ventura (23) receives a high-five from catcher A.J. Pierzynski (12) after an 11-0 win over the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

If any fan of the Chicago White Sox was hoping that A.J. Pierzynski would be making a return to the team this season, that hope has been erased.

Pierzynski on Friday signed a deal to play for the St. Louis Cardinals, as reported by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Twitter.

Here is a Tweet by Post-Dispatch reporter Derrick Goold:

He’ll be replacing an injured Yadier Molina who will be on the disabled list for 6-10 weeks with a thumb injury.

Pierzynski was released by the Boston Red Sox earlier this month, and from 2005-12 played for the White Sox, where he won a World Series title in ’05, the first title in over eight decades for the franchise.

Since leaving the White Sox, Pierzynski, 37, has also played for the Texas Rangers. Before joining the White Sox in ’05, the catcher played for the Minnesota Twins and the San Francisco Giants.

In 72 games with the Red Sox this season, Pierzynski batted .254. He also had just four home runs before being released by Boston.

As far as behind the plate, the Cardinals, I believe, gained a great replacement for the injured Molina. Pierzynski can work well with the Cardinals pitchers, and will help ease the process of not having Molina behind the plate for the next couple months.

He doesn’t have the bat of Molina, but will be good for the Cardinals when it comes to working with their pitchers.