As first reported by Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, the Braves have reached agreement on a one-year free agent contract with veteran catcher A.J. Pierzynski. It’s a $3 million deal, per Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
Pierzynski was brought to Atlanta last winter to serve as a backup and mentor to youngster Christian Bethancourt, but the 38-year-old wound up grabbing the starting job when Bethancourt struggled and he finished with a respectable .300/.339/.430 batting line along 436 plate appearances.
Bethancourt still has a lot of work to do offensively, and this one-year deal with Pierzynski can take some of the pressure off. The 24-year-old defensive-minded backstop hit .200/.225/.290 in 160 plate appearances this past season for the cellar-dwelling Braves.
