THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
PHILADELPHIA — Free-agent catcher Brian Schneider and the Philadelphia Phillies agreed Tuesday to a US$2.75 million, two-year contract.
Schneider, who spent the last two seasons with the rival New York Mets, will be a backup to Carlos Ruiz for the NL champions.
"We feel Brian is ideal for our ball club," Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said. "He’s a guy that we would feel comfortable with playing for an extended period of time, if needed."
The 33-year-old Schneider hit .218 with three homers and 18 RBIs in 59 games last season for the Mets. He threw out nine of 28 runners attempting to steal.
"It feels great, coming back home," said Schneider, who grew up near Allentown, Pa. "All my friends and family are die-hard Phillies fans. It’s good to be on that side again. I thought it was a good fit and that I’d be happy here."
Schneider began his career with the Montreal Expos in 2000 and played with the Expos/Washington Nationals through 2007. He is a .251 career hitter with 59 homers and 356 RBIs.
He gets a $250,000 signing bonus and salaries of $1 million next season and $1.5 million in 2011. The deal also includes performance bonuses based on playing time.
In other news, Amaro said the team was unlikely to offer arbitration to relievers Chan Ho Park and Scott Eyre.
"It doesn’t mean we don’t want to bring them back. We can still sign them back," Amaro said.
Amaro also said that pitcher Jamie Moyer is back home after being hospitalized last week due to recurring symptoms from groin surgery in September. Moyer is likely to have surgery on his left knee in January, but that might not affect his ability to start the season on time.
