ST. LOUIS (AP) — Free agent catcher Brayan Pena has agreed to a $5 million, two-year contract with the St. Louis Cardinals, where he will be the backup for All-Star Yadier Molina.
Reds fans i want to thank you guys so much for all your love and respect for me and my family,my time there was AMAZING, thank you so much
— Brayan Pena (@cuban2727) November 30, 2015
To my teammates , coaches , trainers , front office people , everybody who works on and off the field for Reds Nation, THANK YOU SO MUCH
— Brayan Pena (@cuban2727) November 30, 2015
The 33-year-old switch-hitter receives $2.5 million in each of the next two seasons.
Pena led Reds catchers with 86 games last season while batting .273 with a career-best .344 on-base percentage. His led the NL with a .999 fielding percentage, making one error in 715 chances.
Pena has a .260 career average, with 23 homers and 164 RBIs in 629 games over 11 big league seasons. He spent the last two years with the Reds and has played for Detroit, Kansas City and Atlanta.
Tony Cruz had been Molina's backup in recent seasons.
