A.J. Pierzynski joins champion Red Sox on 1-year deal

Bob Nightengale | USA TODAY Sports

The Boston Red Sox made their first splash since winning the World Series by agreeing to a one-year, $8.25 million contract with free-agent catcher A.J. Pierznyski.

Pierznyski will now share the catching role with David Ross, while cutting ties with Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who signed a three-year deal with the Miami Marlins.

"It's not every day you get a chance to play for the defending World Series champions. Looking at what they have coming back, there's definitely a chance to do it again," Pierzynski said in a conference call with reporters.

"It was a place that you always want to go to because they win and they try to win every year. When they called, it was hard to say no."

Pierznyski, who will be 37 on Dec. 30, has been one of the game's most durable catchers. He has played in at least 120 games in 12 consecutive seasons. He also has hit 44 homers and driven in 147 RBI the last two seasons. He hit .283 last season with 17 homers in 134 games with the Texas Rangers.

Saltalamacchia, 28, batted .243 in four seasons with the Red Sox, but had a healthy .762 OPS in his time there. He had a rough postseason, however, batting just .188 and yielding to Ross for the final two games of the World Series.