Angels agrees to contract with ex-Braves All-Star
11/12/2024 05:02 PM
The Los Angeles Angels are responding to the worst season in franchise history with big offseason moves. They made the first significant trade of the offseason, picking up Jorge Soler from the Braves. Now, the Angels have dipped their toe in the free agency pool with former Braves and Mets catcher Travis d’Arnaud. ESPN’s Jeff Passan was the first to report.
“Catcher Travis d'Arnaud and the Los Angeles Angels are in agreement on a two-year, $12 million contract, sources tell ESPN,” Passan posted on Tuesday.
d’Arnaud spent his first seven years with the Mets and the last five with the Braves, with brief stops with the Rays and Dodgers in between. According to Baseball Savant, he is an above-average defensive catcher with some pop. He just put up his fifth season with an OPS+ over 100 in 2024.
The Angels needed veteran help for their lineup after a miserable 2024 season. Mike Trout played only 29 games, again suffering massive injuries. The youngsters who were tabbed to carry the lineup after his injury did not succeed, leading to the first 99-loss season in franchise history.
The Braves gave Sean Murphy a monster contract before the 2023 season that made this move an inevitability. Murphy will be the catcher for Atlanta, with relief appearances from Chadwick Tromp, as they look to improve on a Wild Card exit.
Where else could the Angels improve?
While the Angels have a lot of holes in their roster, they do not have the money to improve all of it through free agency. If they did have that money, Shohei Ohtani would not be across town with the Dodgers. The holes start with the rotation, where they got poor performances from Griffin Canning, Reid Detmers, and Patrick Sandoval.
The Angels should be prime candidates for a pitcher who waits too long for a long-term contract in free agency. Last year, Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery signed one-year deals with a player option instead of long-term deals. The Giants and Diamondbacks took those players on, respectively. The Angels should be in on those types of players this offseason.
Zach Neto led the Angels with a 5.1 bWAR and was the only player over 3.0 over the full season. They need capable veterans to chew up innings and usher the young players along through the rebuild. Logan O’Hoppe is one of the most important players in that rebuild and the starting catcher. d’Arnaud will help them get O’Hoppe to a great place and help build their rotation in 2024.
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