Nieves: Pierzynski 'a nice fit' for Red Sox

BOSTON -- Count Juan Nieves among those excited to see A.J. Pierzynski with the Red Sox.

The pitching coach and catcher know each other from their time together with the White Sox, and they touched base during the World Series when Pierzynski was working with FOX. With the seed planted, Nieves was happy to see it blossom into a one-year, $8.25 million contract.

"When you see A.J. as an opposing player, you don't like him," Nieves said during "Christmas at Fenway" on Saturday. "But when you see him on your own team, you're going to see a guy that comes in every day and plays hard.

"He's a very knowledgeable guy, very attentive and very talkative during the game. ... He will be a nice fit on the team."

Ryan Lavarnway, who has split time between the Major League team and Triple-A Pawtucket the last three seasons, was brief in discussing Boston's new backstop.

"A.J.'s a good player," Lavarnway said. "He's been pretty established, he's had a lot of success at the plate and behind it. We want to win. ... I haven't had any conversations with [general manager] Ben [Cherington] about [playing time], so I don't know [about my own situation].

"I'm excited to defend [our World Series] championship next year, I don't know what else I can tell you."

With Pierzynski in the fold, Lavarnway's future is in uncertain. Pierzynski and David Ross are expected to be with the big league team, while prospect Christian Vazquez is waiting in the wings at Pawtucket.