The Angels have designated catcher Matt Thaiss for assignment, per Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times on X. That’s the corresponding move for the club signing infielder Kevin Newman, as was reported earlier.
Thaiss, 30 in May, now seems likely to depart the Angels for the first time in his professional career. He was their first round pick in 2016, getting selected 16th overall. Though he was a catcher in college, the Angels valued him more for his offensive abilities and immediately moved him to a corner infield role upon drafting him. He continued to show good talent with a bat in his hands as he worked his way towards the majors, hitting .279/.363/.445 for a 117 wRC+ across multiple minor league levels from 2016 to 2019.
But that production didn’t translate to the major leagues when he was promoted. He hit .202 /.291/.405 in 2019 and 2020, his first 189 plate appearances in the big leagues. The Halos had a fairly crowded group of guys battling for playing time at the infield corners and designated hitter back then, including Shohei Ohtani, Jared Walsh, Anthony Rendon and Albert Pujols, so they decided in 2021 to move Thaiss back behind the plate.
His major league offense still hasn’t developed as hoped. He’s now up to 771 career plate appearances with a .208/.313/.342 line, 29.3% strikeout rate and 83 wRC+. That’s actually not bad by backup catcher standards. Catchers overall tend to be roughly 10% below average at the plate, including a league-wide 91 wRC+ for backstops in 2024. But his defense hasn’t been especially well regarded, perhaps unsurprising for a guy who was away from the position for a few years.
On top of that lackluster performance, Thaiss has exhausted his option years, meaning he could no longer be easily sent to the minors. The Angels have seen Logan O’Hoppe emerge as their primary catcher and they just brought in Travis d’Arnaud to serve as a veteran complement for the next two years. Given all those factors, Thaiss was squeezed off the roster and perhaps to another club for the first time in his career.
DFA limbo can last up to a week but the waiver process takes 48 hours, meaning the Angels will have five days to see if there’s any trade interest from other teams. His major league track record is obviously not too impressive but it’s possible there will be interest regardless. Catching help is almost always in demand and it’s also possible some team thinks they can help Thaiss unlock something at the plate if they have him give up on the catching thing altogether. His 12.6% walk rate to this point in his career is quite strong, but he has struck out a lot and hasn’t done much damage when he does put the bat on the ball.
Thaiss just crossed three years of service time in 2024, meaning he’s eligible for arbitration for the first time this winter. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects him for a $1.3MM salary next year, not much above the $760K league minimum. If any club acquires him via trade or a waiver claim, he can theoretically be retained through 2027 via arbitration, though that coming to fruition would be contingent on him taking a step forward in terms of his performance.
Teams like the Rays, Blue Jays, Padres, Rockies, Marlins, Cubs, Reds, Braves and others could be on the lookout for catching help this offseason. If any of them view Thaiss as a viable option, they’ll be calling the Angels in the coming days. Or as mentioned, perhaps some club is intrigued enough by the walks or the minor league track record to view Thaiss as a potential late-blooming hitter.
they should bring me in…still got some pop left
The Angels never learn. Always jumping th market to overpay mediocre players. At least this was to make sure they had a replacement in an area of urgent need. But they still have yet to learn.
@darkside830. 2.5 for Newman isn’t a overpay either. That’s the price for a utility guy.
Travis D’Arnaud ready to rock and roll! Just a hop away!
Thaiss is one of those guys who I watch and am positive is (or will be a good hitter), then he just isn’t. He seems to have a good eye, smooth stroke, ‘some’ pop… then the year ends and his OPS+ is 80.
Well said. I’m expecting his breakout every season.
he’s so frustrating to watch. The way he throws the ball back to the pitcher drives me crazy. And he swings out of his a** and whiffs on FB right down the middle so much
Orioles need a backup catcher. But that weak bat AND rusty defense isn’t worth it despite the price, draft pedigree and youth if he doesn’t have options (which per FG, he’s out of).
Good point Big Hurt. Esp considering you could take out “Thaiss” and put in about have the roster names and that comment would still make sense. Go Halos.
I don’t know the rules with moves and what not so be gentle..
Can he be traded still? Does he go to waivers and then if not claimed, get release? Why wouldn’t they just non-tender him?
They needed to make a move to clear a spot for Newman and doing this allows them to possibly trade him in the next couple of days if another team claims him but they could just let the team making the claim have him. If he clears waivers, he could walk if he has at least 6 years of professional playing time as a minor league free agent. Non-tender would mean they get no chance at being able to trade him.
@cookmeister2. He’s out of options. They could possibly trade him, but if anyone is interested they will just wait. The only teams that will be interested is low payroll teams for a backup catcher/ dh. But currently he’s neither probably going to sign a minor league deal.
Not surprising. Another Angels first round bust. At least he received ample opportunity over the last couple of seasons.
Undoubtedly, he’ll receive a MiLB deal from another club and could be a decent pick up as catching depth at triple-A.
That makes sense. d’Arnaud is better than Thaiss both with the bat and glove and Angels have a couple of options on the farm coming in 2-3 years.
Best left handed bat on the team.
Thaiss looks like a future Blue Jay
Agreed, A little better hitting vs RHP. Dont know about his defense, but likely an upgrade overall on Heineman as backup.. Maybe a change of teams unlocks him.
Lefty-hitting backup catcher could be a perfect fit for Cincinnati.