According to several reports, Brian Schneider has just signed a two-year deal worth $3 million dollars with the Philadelphia Phillies.

The former Mets catcher became a free agent and the Mets had no plans to offer him arbitration. Schneider, 33, hit .218 in 59 games last season, and .244 in 169 games overall as a Met.

Phillies GM Ruben Amaro said in a statement.

“We feel Brian is ideal for our ballclub. He has played in the NL East for this entire decade, so he knows the opposing hitters in this division well and he has proven he can handle the bat. He’s a guy that we would feel comfortable with playing for an extended period of time, if needed.”

I guess this is revenge for signing catcher Chris Coste who will always be a Phillie…

Schneider was a nice guy, but nice doesn’t win ball games, producing at the plate does, and Schneider wasn’t cutting it. Still, it’s a good move for the Phillies who unlike the Mets, aren’t desperate for offense. Plus it’s always a good thing to snag your rival’s catcher and pick his brain in the war room before each three game series.

Mets by the way, are still considering the virtues of catcher Henry Blanco despite the Chris Coste signing yesterday.