Giants land a new catcher / Pierzynski comes from Twins for Nathan, 2 others

Recommended Video:

A.J. Pierzynski, the Giants' new catcher, was asleep in his Maui hotel Friday morning when his wife's cell phone rang with news that he was no longer a Minnesota Twin. A relaxing day of golf in paradise became much more complicated for the 2002 All-Star, who could become San Francisco's solution behind the plate for years to come.

"My wife answered and said, 'You better get up because you've been traded, ' " Pierzynski said. "I thought she was joking. I jumped up and got dressed. It's been a hectic day. Not such a good golf score."

The Giants are not interested in birdies and bogeys but rather the impressive numbers Pierzynski has posted in three full big-league seasons. Those were enough to persuade general manager Brian Sabean to send his best reliever last season, Joe Nathan, and pitching prospects Boof Bonser and Francisco Liriano to the Twins for Pierzynski, who turns 27 in December.

The Twins moved Pierzynski because he is due a big raise in arbitration for 2004 over the $365,000 he earned in 2003. They also have catching prospect Joe Mauer waiting in the wings. Minnesota will send the Giants a prospect to be named or a small amount of cash as part of the deal. The Giants likely will try to sign their new catcher to a long-term deal to avoid arbitration.

By dealing Nathan, considered by some a possible successor to closer Robb Nen, the Giants left a large void in their bullpen, which is already a question mark in light of Nen's health and Tim Worrell's potential departure via free agency.

They also are parting with a former first-round draft pick (Bonser) and a 20-year-old prospect (Liriano) in whom they have invested a lot of effort and money.

However, given Pierzynski's talent, the fact he is still three years away from free agency and the breadth of positions the Giants have to fill for 2004,

** FILE ** Minnesota Twins' A.J. Pierzynski , right, and Colorado Rockies catcher Bobby Estalella, left, follow the flight of Pierzynski's second home run of the game during the seventh inning in Minneapolis, in this June 12, 2003 photo. Pierzynski was traded Friday, Friday, Nov. 14, 2003, by the Twins to the San Francisco Giants for right-handed pitcher Joe Nathan and two minor leaguers. (AP Photo/Ann Heisenfelt) A June 12, 2003 file photo less ** FILE ** Minnesota Twins' A.J. Pierzynski , right, and Colorado Rockies catcher Bobby Estalella, left, follow the flight of Pierzynski's second home run of the game during the seventh inning in Minneapolis, ... more Photo: ANN HEISENFELT Photo: ANN HEISENFELT Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Giants land a new catcher / Pierzynski comes from Twins for Nathan, 2 others 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

Sabean said the trade that officially ends the Benito Santiago era was easy to make.

"It wasn't hard to cross that bridge," he said. "Whether someone is going to be a closer or a front-line starter is a lot of speculation. Somebody might write that or say that, but that is not necessarily the organization's view of the world.

"While it didn't necessarily come easy giving up Joe, we feel we've got alternatives within the organization and in a market that's going to be flooded with possibilities. It's not often you can send a reliever and two prospects away for a front-line, All-Star, left-handed-hitting catcher."

Pierzynski is a lifetime .301 hitter coming off his best season, when he batted .312 with 11 homers and 74 RBIs. He carries a reputation as a good clutch hitter and batted .324 while slugging .544 with runners in scoring position in 2003.

Pierzynski's numbers were not Metrodome-inflated either. He hit much better last season on the road (.328) than at home (.295). Calling his trade to San Francisco "kind of a cool thing," Pierzynski said he looked forward to playing outdoors.

"Playing in the Metrodome gets a little old and stale," said Pierzynski, who went 4-for-11 with a triple during the Twins' interleague visit to San Francisco in June. "I hit a ball that I thought was a home run and it hit the wall. That's kind of scary for me. I don't hit a lot of home runs as it is, so I can't have them taken away from me.

"I know Barry (Bonds) from going to Japan. He never seems to have any problems hitting (in San Francisco). Maybe he can teach me a few things."

Perhaps Pierzynski can reciprocate by teaching Bonds how to talk trash on the field. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound New York state native is never shy about expressing his feelings, which has made him some enemies, particularly in Oakland.

After Pierzynski homered to help Minnesota win the decisive game of the 2002 Division Series, A's closer Billy Koch called him "a jackass." Terrence Long said of Pierzynski, "Nobody in the league is very fond him."

Pierzynski said he believes his reputation has been blown out of proportion and he won't apologize for how he acts. He jokingly bragged that "the people in Oakland, they love me."

This deal was a little surprising because it was thought the Giants would give 25-year-old Yorvit Torrealba a shot at the everyday catching job. They reinforced that notion by signing veteran backup Alberto Castillo last week. Pierzynski's acquisition gives Sabean the flexibility to trade Torrealba, whose stock is rising, to help fill other needs at shortstop, right field, first base or on the mound.

Torrealba's agent, Ed Setlik, said Friday that his client thought he was going to get a "significant increase in playing time, but that was never etched in stone. They don't know when an opportunity is going to come about.

"Sabean must know what he's doing," Setlik said, "He's the executive of the year."

Several teams were bidding for Pierzynski, most notably the Cubs, which explains why the Giants had to part with a pitcher as valuable as Nathan, whose 12 victories in 2003 fell one shy of the Giants' record for relievers.

His seven years in the organization ended badly, though, as he was roughed up for three runs and a homer in two-thirds of an inning in Game 2 of the Division Series against Florida. In his final act as a Giant, Nathan stormed off the mound, brushing manager Felipe Alou, who yanked him after he walked Luis Castillo on four pitches late in Game 3.

Sabean insisted Nathan's playoff performance had nothing to do with the trade. Nathan did not return a phone call Friday.

To Giants

A.J. Pierzynski

-- Height: 6-3

-- Weight: 218

-- Position: C

-- Born: 12/30/76

-- Major-league statistics: 430 games over six seasons with Twins, .301 avg., 26 home runs, 184 runs, 193 RBIs, 430 hits

To Twins

Joe Nathan

-- Height: 6-4

-- Weight: 205

-- Position: RHP

-- Born: 11/22/74

-- Major-league statistics: 121 gams over four seasons with Giants, 24- 10, 4.12 ERA, 200 strikeouts, 142 walks

Boof Bonser

-- Height: 6-4

-- Weight: 236

-- Position: RHP

-- Born: 10-14-81

-- Minor-league statistics: A combined 34-28 with a 2.63 ERA in 93 games over four seasons with the Giants' Class-A, Double-A and Triple-A affiliates.

Francisco Liriano

-- Height: 6-2

-- Weight: 185

-- Position: LHP

-- Born: 10-26-83

-- Minor-league statistics: A combined 8-12 with a 3.91 ERA in 36 games over three seasons with Giants' Class-A affiliates

Year Games AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI AVG. 1998 7 10 1 3 0 0 0 1 .300 1999 9 22 3 6 2 0 0 3 .273 2000 33 88 12 27 5 1 2 11 .307 2001 114 381 51 110 33 2 7 55 .289 2002 130 440 54 132 31 6 6 49 .300 2003 137 487 63 152 35 3 11 74 .312 Totals 430 1,428 184 430 106 12 26 193 .301 Pierzynski has spent his entire career with Minnesota

Pierzynski's career statistics