The Phillies signed catcher Brian Schneider, according to Mandy Housenick of The Morning Call (hat tip to Jon Heyman). He signed a two-year deal, according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. Zolecki says Schneider will earn $1.25MM in '10 and $1.5MM in '11 for a total of $2.75MM. Schneider grew up a Phillies fan, which was part of the reason he was willing to accept a role backing up Carlos Ruiz rather than start for another team. The Rockies were known to have interest, but that was also for a backup job.
Schneider, 33, hit .218/.292/.335 in 194 plate appearances for the Mets this year, catching 437 innings. He dealt with knee, back, and calf issues. He earned $4.9MM in the last year of a four-year, $16MM deal signed in January of '06. In November of '07, Schneider was traded by the Nationals with Ryan Church to the Mets for Lastings Milledge.
