The Los Angeles Angels announced on Tuesday that they agreed to a two-year contract with d’Arnaud. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that the deal is worth $12 million.
This marks d’Arnaud’s second career stint in Los Angeles, as he signed with the Dodgers in 2019 but appeared in just one game for the team before being traded to the Tampa Bay Rays. He’s certainly hoping that his run in Hollywood lasts longer this time around.
The 2025 season will be the 13th of d’Arnaud’s major league career. He made his debut in 2013 with the New York Mets and remained with the team for the next six-plus years. After his stint in Tampa Bay, he found a home in Atlanta when he signed with the team prior to the 2020 season.
The 35-year-old helped lead the Braves to a World Series title in 2021, hitting two home runs that postseason. He earned his lone career All-Star selection during the 2022 campaign.
This past season, d’Arnaud appeared in 99 games and hit .238 with 15 home runs and 48 RBI. He will bring a veteran presence to an Angels team that is in need of some major changes.
Los Angeles set a franchise record for most losses in a season in 2024, going 63-99 and missing the playoffs for the 10th straight year, the longest active streak in MLB. Signing d’Arnaud will hopefully be the first step to turning the franchise’s fortune around.
Travis d’Arnaud Reunites With Angels Pilot Ron Washington
The pull of Ron Washington, Southern California, and the chance to play regularly again was too much for Travis d’Arnaud to resist.
Just days after the Atlanta Braves declined his $8 million club option, the veteran catcher signed a two-year Los Angeles Angels deal that guarantees him $12 million.
The team is managed by Ron Washington, who spent eight years as Atlanta’s third-base coach under Brian Snitker and shook d’Arnaud’s hand as he rounded third on two home runs during the 2021 World Series.
The catcher is a Long Beach native who broke into the big leagues with the 2013 Mets but later played for the Dodgers, Rays, and Blue Jays in addition to the Braves. He carved a niche in baseball history during his tenure in Tampa Bay when he became the only catcher who hit three home runs in a game while batting lead-off.
The right-handed hitter finished 2024 with 15 home runs in 99 games, his second-biggest workload since 2019 as he helped fill the void for injured Sean Murphy behind the plate. Both d’Arnaud and Murphy are former All-Stars.
Although d’Arnaud turns 36 before spring training starts in February, he is widely considered a good handler of pitchers and a good framer who gets many called strikes for his staff. He is also a decent hitter, with some power, a knack for producing in clutch situations, and a strong clubhouse presence – a key factor in the signing.
The Angels lost 99 games, most in their history, last season and are seeking to rise in the American League West.
For d’Arnaud, he gets a slightly lower annual average salary but an extra guaranteed season.
A .248 lifetime hitter over 12 seasons, d’Arnaud was a first-round amateur draft choice of the Philadelphia Phillies in 2007 but was traded to Toronto two years later in the trade that brought future Hall of Famer Roy Halladay to the National League.
He joined the Braves as a free agent on Nov. 24, 2019.
From the Atlanta perspective, declining the club option on d’Arnaud was surprising in light of Murphy’s miserable performance since making the 2023 NL All-Star team. The veteran backstop injured his oblique on Opening Day last year, missed two months, and never recaptured his former form.
But the Braves have a blue-chip rookie receiver in Drake Baldwin, a left-handed slugger who starred in the Arizona Fall League.
According to scouting reports, he is a selective hitter likely to walk more often than he strikes out – a characteristic desperately needed in Atlanta.
If the Braves feel Baldwin isn’t ready, they could delve into the free-agent market for Kyle Higashioka or Gary Sanchez, both of whom played for the Yankees and Padres.
Should they decide to trade Murphy, whom they obtained from the Oakland Athletics two years ago, they would be selling low in light of his bad season.
New Braves batting coach Tim Hyers hopes to resurrect Murphy’s career next season.
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