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First off, let's discuss the fact that this news was broken thanks to Aaron Lunsford spreading the word of a conversation that his dad had with Fredi Gonzalez in a Honey Baked Ham.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/TalkingChop">@TalkingChop</a> braves signed aj pierzynski today. Not kidding.</p>— Aaron Lunsford (@darrenstains) <a href="https://twitter.com/darrenstains/status/547815929527406592">December 24, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/TalkingChop">@TalkingChop</a> my dad just talked to fredi Gonzales in a honey baked ham</p>— Aaron Lunsford (@darrenstains) <a href="https://twitter.com/darrenstains/status/547816066127507457">December 24, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/DOBrienAJC">@DOBrienAJC</a> hey Dave, fredi did say directly to my dad - "we signed a Catcher today. Pierzynski. You're the first to know."</p>— Aaron Lunsford (@darrenstains) <a href="https://twitter.com/darrenstains/status/547833548355686402">December 24, 2014</a></blockquote>
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As we head into 2015, never let anyone dismiss the power of Twitter and the internet itself. What a world we live in! A world where a guy's dad can bump into the manager of a Major League Baseball team in a Honey Baked Ham and end up breaking news as a result. Again, the internet is absolutely amazing.
Now, let's get down to the nitty gritty of this news: The Braves have indeed signed A.J. Pierzynski to a 1-year deal. After missing out on a pursuit of David Ross, Pierzynski was probably the next best name on a lean list of backup catchers, which is the role that the 38-year old Pierzynski will be filling this season. With Evan Gattis currently penciled in as the starting left fielder thanks to the Justin Upton trade, the Braves needed a backup catcher behind Christian Bethancourt and Pierzynski will be the man for the job.
Pierzynski is coming off one of the worst seasons of his career, hitting .251/.288/.337 with 5 HRs, 37 RBI, and 72 wRC+ over 102 games w/ 2 different teams, giving him a paltry -0.4 fWAR. However, we probably won't see him playing 100 games here as the backup catcher, and will probably be used as a mentor for Bethancourt as he enters his first season as a full-time starting catcher. The hope here is that in his spot starts and appearances off the bench, Pierzynski won't be a complete dumpster fire and that Bethancourt can learn from the long-time veteran. As long as that happens and the money isn't too much (considering this is a 1-year deal, it probably won't be), this isn't that bad of a signing. The worst case scenario? Bethancourt stinks and Pierzynski gets thrust into an more-than-just-a-spot-start role. That would be a mess.
Hopefully, all we'd have to deal with is the fact that he walks up to Creed. Come on, bruh. It's almost 2015. But for now, this signing simply fills the need of backup catcher, as the Braves continue their offseason pattern of adding aging veterans for immediate needs and young prospects for not-so-immediate wants.