PHILLIES SIGN BRIAN SCHNEIDER

Mandy Housenick of The Morning Call is reporting that Northampton graduate Bran Schneider has signed a two-year free agent contract with the Phillies after passing a physical on Tuesday.

Schneider, who grew up a Phillies fan, hit .218/.292/.335 with three home runs and 24 RBI in 170 at-bats with the New York Mets last season while being slowed down by back, calf and knee injuries.

The 33-year-old left-handed hitting catcher is a career .251/.323/.697 hitter while playing for the Mets and the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals.

He’s regarded as an excellent defensive catcher, committing only 36 errors in 877 career games. He caught 437 innings, and had a .997 fielding percentage while throwing out 34% of base stealers.

Schneider has always been a Phillies killer in his career, hitting .273/.354/.412 against Philadelphia while slugging six homers and driving in 54 runs in 108 games.

I think this is a good move on the part of Ruben Amaro Jr. , who has done nothing but good things since taking over as general manager last winter. Schneider provides a bat and defense at backup catcher.

Interestingly enough, this happened one day after former Phillies catcher and fan favorite Chris Coste agreed to sign with the rival Mets.

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Philadelphia Phillies: A Glance at What’s Going on with the Phils

Jeff Kolpack is reporting that former Phillies catcher and fan favorite Chris Coste has agreed to sign a deal with the New York Mets that will guarantee a spot on their 40-man roster come Spring Training.

Tom’s Take: It will be hard to see Coste playing for the hated Mets, that is if he makes the team of course. His story could eventually make it to the big screen, but his best days are behind him at the age of 37. The Phils waived him last year, and the Astros picked him up. Now, he’ll have a chance to earn a job on a bad Mets team. Good luck, Chris.

 

Mike Potter writes that the decision to sign DeWayne Wise to a minor league contract was a good move on the part of Ruben Amaro Jr. He thinks that Wise could contribute to the Phils this coming season.

Tom’s Take: With minor league deals, you never expect anything big to come out of it. Usually, these type of players are guys who are way past their prime or never really showed anything to warrant a guaranteed spot. Wise is a player like that, but who knows, it could pay off or it could not. We shall see.

 

David Murphy thinks that the Phillies will offer Chan Ho Park arbitration when the deadline passes on Tuesday, and he also expects Shane Victorino and Carlos Ruiz to be offered contracts to boot.

Tom’s Take: As much as I want to see Park come back to the Phils’ bullpen, I don’t see it happening. He wants to be a starter so if a team wants him, all they have to do is what the Phillies did last season. Give him a chance to start, and when, not if, he blows, send him to he ‘pen. Victorino and Ruiz will ink deals at some point, at least I expect so.

 

Sam Donnellon says that Chone Figgins would fit nicely atop the Phillies’ lineup this season, and that they should sign him to be their third baseman.

Tom’s Take: Figgins is everyone’s top target this off-season at the hot corner, however I’d rather not spend the money on a 32-year-old who relies on speed, especially if he wants four to five years at $50 million. I would rather go with a guy who has some power like Adrian Beltre, Mark DeRosa, or Miguel Tejada; however, I do agree that Figgins would be a good fit with the Phils.

 

For more Phillies coverage, please go to my blog: Phillies Phandom

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