The Pioneer Press caught up with former Twins catcher A.J. Pierzynski at the MLB Winter Meetings in Orlando, Florida on Tuesday.
Pierzynski, who signed a one-year deal with the Red Sox earlier this month, said it was tough to pick Boston over the Twins, who he said offered him a two-year contract.
“It was tough. It wasn’t easy at all,” Pierzynski said. “I think people take it as an easy decision. It wasn’t.”
“Minnesota always has a special place in my heart, having come up there. There were a lot of things pulling me in that direction, but at the end of the day, I think ultimately the Red Sox won in the fact I’m older now, so this year I’ll have a better chance to win.”
Minnesota has strung together three consecutive 90 loss seasons, and the Red Sox won the World Series in October. There’s a large gap between the two teams when it comes to competing for a World Series in 2014.
“I think I’ll have a chance to win the World Series,” Pierzynski added. “That’s kind of what it came down to.
Pierzynski told the Boston Globe last week that working for FOX during the playoffs helped him get a good look at what the Red Sox are all about, and it helped him make his decision.
In a related story, Joe Mauer, who won’t catch for the Twins in 2014, could be sitting on a monster season now that he’s playing first base. Ex-Twins catcher Mike Redmond expects Mauer to hit .340 because he’ll feel much better physically now that he’s now taking a beating behind the plate every game.
