AJ signs 1-year deal with the Rangers

[SephClone89]

More fuel for the Rangers-Angels rivalry.

[spawn]

Will we be the first city that he departed that will actually cheer for him when he returns in an opposing team's uniform?

[Thome25]

This ****ing sucks.

One of my favorite Sox players of all time and my favorite current player signs with the ****ing Rangers.

[Thome25]

Originally Posted by spawn

Will we be the first city that he departed that will actually cheer for him when he returns in an opposing team's uniform?

Absolutely.

[tstrike2000]

The writing's been on the wall for a few weeks now and now it's pretty much official. For some of his deficiencies over the years, like throwing out baserunners, he's always been a team leader, good hitter, good baserunner and a smart player.

[DumpJerry]

Well, it sounds like nobody wanted to give him a multi-year deal. He will turn 36 years old next week. He has spent many, many innings crouching being The Plate for many years now. I think many teams feel his best years are behind him.

I'm ok with this. Flowers does a better job of throwing out runners.

[Noneck]

7.5M


http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/blog/ey...-year-contract

[Brian26]

Originally Posted by Noneck

I am very curious how much he got and if the Sox even made a offer. I thought he would want a 2-3 year which the Sox didnt want but on a one year deal, I would think the Sox would have put a competitive offer on the table. Something isnt meshing in my mind unless its a 8-10M deal.

Probably the last place, I would have went to if I was AJ and wanted to extend my career beyond next year. Catching down there in the texas heat has to be very tough.

The sox offered one year and four million.

[Nellie_Fox]

Originally Posted by HomeFish

Oh come on, we hated AJ so much when he was with the Twins.

Speak for yourself. "We" did not hate him. I wish I could find it, but I made a post where I compared the Sox and Twins position by position back then, and at catcher I said about A.J. that I'd love to have him. I've always liked the way he went about his business.

[Noneck]

Originally Posted by Brian26

The sox offered one year and four million.

Thanks for info. 7.5M is a lot but maybe somewhere in the middle would have been ok. AJ always finds a way to produce ink, he is a fan favorite and maybe even puts fans in the seats. Burls was not a realistic sign, AJ was. Its just tough to give up an icon after having his best year, for a couple mil.

[CoopaLoop]

I figured the Sox would go because someone would be silly enough to give him two or more years.

I guess it is more important to find out what you have in Flowers this season, but I just don't think you have anything other than a back up.

[SephClone89]

Anyone who thinks $7.5m is an overpay hasn't been paying attention to this offseason.

[russ99]

Now that the initial shock has worn away, I can understand why the Sox didn't re-sign him.

They need to figure out what happens at catcher moving forward eventually, A.J. isn't going to play forever.

That said, relying on Flowers seems a roadmap to years of revolving catchers, just like we had before A.J.. Chris Burke, anyone?

Hopefully we can bring in a long-term big league bat at the position, if not during the rest of the offseason, then before the trade deadline.

If it was a financial move, then it seems idiotic to spend to bring Peavy back (with surely more questions than A.J.) and let your best lefty bat, clubhouse guy and fan favorite go.

[doublem23]

Originally Posted by SephClone89

Anyone who thinks $7.5m is an overpay hasn't been paying attention to this offseason.

Seriously. And it's not even the money, ONE YEAR? Such minimal risk on the team's part, it's almost incomprehensible.

We offer the guy 1 year, $4 M? That's a ****ing joke in and of itself but then to let him walk over another $3.5 M is horrible. **** you, White Sox

[WSox597]

I never hated A.J. when he was with other teams, never did understand that whole thing.

He played hard, he hit well, and was an average defensive catcher. He was getting older for baseball, though, and everybody knew it.

Still, you can't blame a guy for taking the money at age 36. It's all about the money in the final analysis, and it always has been.

I also hope he goes into managing in the future, he has a great baseball head on his shoulders.

Now, as far as hating a catcher, how about that punk from the Cubs who punched A.J.? There's a catcher who deserves major dislike.

One of my favorite moments from A.J. is that grand slam against the Cubs. The Cubs fan who did a face plant on the dugout roof is hilarious.