Carlos Ruiz was the Phillies’ final arbitration-eligible player and on Sunday the 31-year-old catcher reportedly agreed to a three-year contract for  $8.85 million.

The deal includes a fourth-year option at $5 million.

The three-year pact takes cares of Ruiz’s arbitration-eligible years.

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Well, I think this is a good bargain. Is Ruiz the best catcher in baseball? No way…. but he’s certainly emerged as one of the best defensive catchers, perhaps second only to Yadier Molina in the NL.

Any catcher that can hit .250 and drive in 40-plus runs from the No. 8 hole and provide stellar defense behind the plate is a pretty darn good player. Ruiz has been an underrated contributor. It’s good to see a guy who has worked this hard get awarded …. and it’s hard to believe he’s been a part of the organization since 1998!