Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz got off to a slow start in 2013, but a second-half resurgence changed the club's view on the pending free agent. General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr. spoke well of the catcher and openly stated that he'd like for him to return in 2014, writes MLB.com's Todd Zolecki.
"We'd like to bring him back," Amaro said. "He knows we'd like to bring him back. We'll see what happens. It wouldn't be the first free agent [we've had]. … I'd like to have as much balance [in the lineup] as we can, we haven't been very good against left-handers. It's well documented."
Ruiz's stock in Philadelphia is certainly helped by the fact that they are in need of right-handed bats and the lack of quality catchers that figure to be available this winter doesn't hurt either. While things didn't look promising for Ruiz from the start of the season through the end of July (.248/.298/.293) he has hit much better in the last two months, posting a .299/.352/.463 with four homers in 161 plate appearances.
The 34-year-old, who earned $5MM this season, is represented by Marc Kligman according to the MLBTR Agency Database.
