Reports State Phillies to Re-sign Carlos Ruiz
Phils bring back Choch on three-year deal
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
The free agent market for catchers will become a little thinner…
Carlos Ruiz will be back in Philly next year…and for two more after that as you see from the tweet by Matt Gelb of The Philadelphia Inquirer. There were rumblings that Ruiz had received a two-year, $20MM deal, but the third year must have made a difference. Ruiz will be 35 in January.
Gelb also tweets that the Phillies hold an option for a fourth year, meaning Ruiz would be 38 at the end of the deal, provided the option is exercised. Jayson Stark tweets the financial terms. Ruiz will earn $8.5MM in each of next three seasons, with a $4.5MM option for the fourth year ($500K buyout). Ruiz will also be able to block deals to 4 teams.
In a season where Ruiz was limited to 92 games, in part due to a 25-game suspension for using amphetamines, he posted a triple slash of .268/.320/.368 with 5 HR and 37 RBI. Those marks were his lowest batting average since 2009, lowest OBP since a 27-game stint in 2006 and lowest SLG since 2008. It is possible that much more was expected based upon his 2012 season where Ruiz was selected for the All-Star Game, his first.