Brian Schneider Signs On with Philadelphia Phillies - How will he respond?

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer , Brian Schneider has signed a two-year contract with the Phillies for $3 Million.

Schneider is originally from the Allentown area so a return to Pennyslvania is considered a homecoming for his family and friends.

After injuries plagued Schneider for 2008 and 2009, the Mets did not stand in the way of him filing for Free Agency.

During the 2008 and 2009 seasons, Schneider had several lower back and leg injuries and only played in a total of 169 games, and hit .244 with 62 RBI for the two seasons.

Yesterday, Chris Coste, formerly of the Phillies, was signed to the Mets' 40-man roster.  In order to make the 25 man roster at the conclusion of Spring Training this March, Coste will need to prove his value.

Brian Schneider and Ryan Church were acquired by the Mets from the Washington Nationals in exchange for Lastings Milledge after the 2007 season.

Both struggled with injuries and fan acceptance during their time on the Mets.  Many  fans felt that Milledge was a diamond in the rough who was worth holding onto and that Omar Minaya had made yet another foolish move.

Ryan Church had severe and well documented concussion issues and was dealt to the Atlanta Braves in return for Jeff Francouer last July, a move that the Mets have come to have pride in the last few months.

Last August, when David Wright was beaned and had suffered a concussion, Church offered guidance and counseling to his former teammate and friend while the Braves were in town later in the week.

Manager Jerry Manuel did not like Ryan Church at all, although he vehemently denied it, as even after Church went to the Braves, Manuel still spoke of him in negative terms.

Jeff Francouer will most likely be a fixture on the Mets for quite a few years and many Mets fans will soon forget that Ryan Church had any positive contributions in his playing time.

Church's defining moment of the 2009 season was when he scored a run initially but it was overruled when the Dodgers appealed and won because Church missed third base.

Josh Thole appears to be the catching future of the Mets but with Schneider gone, Omir Santos and/or Chris Coste will be his mentors going into the 2010 season.