By Chris Brown / STL Baseball Today | @cbrown_STLBBT | Nov. 12, 2015, 12:48 pm CT
The Cardinals announced on Thursday the signings of catcher Eric Fryer and right-handed pitcher Juan Gonzalez to minor league contracts with invitations to Major League Spring Training.
Fryer, 30, has a career .243 batting average in 65 big-league games with the Twins and Pirates. The veteran of nine minor league seasons elected free agency late last month after being outrighted off the Twins’ 40-man roster. A native of manager Mike Matheny’s hometown in Ohio, Fryer will head into Spring Training competing for a role at AAA Memphis, while also in the mix to serve as Yadier Molina’s backup.
Gonzalez, 25, posted a 2-1 record with a 2.18 ERA and tallied 12 saves in 31 relief outings for AAA Oklahoma City and took part in the Futures All-Star Game. He registered a collective 1.62 ERA over 50 innings between Class AA Tulsa and Oklahoma City, minor-league affiliates of the Colorado Rockies.
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Feature image via MLB.com screengrab.
