In a move not many saw coming, the Phillies signed catcher Brian Schneider to a two year contract to be the backup to Carlos Ruiz.
The deal will pay Schneider $2.75 million over the two years.
This really is another under the radar, yet great signing by Ruben Amaro. Schneider has been around the NL East his entire career and knows the teams and opponents extremely well. He will be an excellent insurance policy in case of a Ruiz injury.
With the emergence of Chooch, the Phillies needed to get someone to strictly be a backup catcher. At this point in his career, that’s what Schneider is. He’ll be able to come in and play at a high level when he’s needed, but will be happy to be on a winning team. He could start on some teams out there, but he’s willing to sacrifice some playing time in order to finally being around a winning atmosphere. With his prior stops in Montreal, Washington and New York, the change in scenery will do him well.
Schneider will be a huge upgrade over the Phillies’ backup catchers last year, which included Chris Coste, Paul Bako, and Paul Hoover. Coste signed with the Mets yesterday, so it’s kind of like the Phils and Mets just did a switch, even though Costey finished out the year in Houston last season.
The Phillies needed an upgraded bench this season and Schneider will definitely do that. I’m sure Pat Gillick had a part in this, but this signing is yet another example of how good a GM Ruben Amaro has been.
