The Angels announced that they have signed catcher Travis d’Arnaud to a two-year deal. That pact reportedly comes with a $12MM guarantee for the Wasserman client. Right-hander Guillo Zuñiga has been designated for assignment in a corresponding move. The Halos have also hired Sal Fasano, who was with Atlanta as catching coach until being fired last month, as an assistant pitching coach.
d’Arnaud, 36 in February, has been with Atlanta for the past few years. However, that club declined an $8MM club option to keep him around for the 2025, sending him to the open market last week. The veteran has quickly landed on his feet with a new deal at a slightly lower average annual value but with an additional guaranteed season.
His time with Atlanta has consisted of a series of deals, all with an AAV of $8MM. He signed a two-year, $16MM deal going into 2020, followed by a two-year, $16MM extension signed late in 2021. Midway through 2023, he and the club agreed to a one-year, $8MM extension for 2024 with an $8MM club option for 2025.
During that stretch, he has missed some time due to injury and his offense has been up-and-down, but it’s generally amounted to solid production. He got into 384 games over his five years with the club, hitting 60 home runs and slashing .251/.312/.443 for a 106 wRC+. His defense was generally well regarded, allowing him to produce 9.3 wins above replacement over that time, in the eyes of FanGraphs.
Despite his competent performance, Atlanta decided to move on. Perhaps that was due to budgetary constraints or the emergence of prospect Drake Baldwin, who is knocking on the door. Either way, that club’s catching tandem is shifting. It has been d’Arnaud and Sean Murphy in recent years but Murphy will need a new partner, whether that’s Baldwin or someone else.
The Angels will be hoping that Atlanta’s loss will be their gain. They already have a strong catcher in Logan O’Hoppe, who doesn’t turn 25 years old until February and can be controlled through the 2028 season, but d’Arnaud can act in a veteran/backup role.
The only other backstop on the Angels’ 40-man roster is Matt Thaiss, who is out of options. General manager Perry Minasian said today that they are still figuring out plans with Thaiss, per Sam Blum of The Athletic on X. Perhaps Thaiss will move to another position but the club could also carry three catchers or make Thaiss available in trades. He is eligible for arbitration for the first time this winter with MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projecting him for a salary of $1.3MM. The non-tender deadline is November 22, so perhaps some more clarity on his status will emerge between now and then.
It’s possible that Minasian has been waiting for his opportunity to reconnect with d’Arnaud, as he has quickly gotten a deal done shortly after the veteran became available. Minasian worked as a scout for the Blue Jays from 2009 to 2017. It was during that time that d’Arnaud, still a prospect, was traded to the Jays as part of the December 2009 Roy Halladay blockbuster. He would later be traded to the Mets as part of the December 2012 deal that brought R.A. Dickey to Toronto.
Atlanta’s current general manager Alex Anthopoulos was the GM for the Jays for both of those trades and also seemingly made it a priority to reunite with d’Arnaud a few years back. The overlapping careers of Minasian and Anthopoulos have apparently led to good relations extending into the present, as the two clubs have been frequent trade partners of late. Since Minasian was hired in November of 2020, the two clubs have connected on the August 2022 Raisel Iglesias deal, the December 2023 David Fletcher trade, the Jorge Soler deal from a few weeks ago and some other minor swaps. Angels’ manager Ron Washington was also on Atlanta’s coaching staff before joining the Halos.
Today’s news isn’t a trade but it adds to the track record of interchange between the clubs, with the Angels acquiring both d’Arnaud and Fasano after they had been let go from Atlanta. Fasano started his coaching career in 2009 in the minor league system of the Jays when both Minasian and Anthopoulos were there. In the fall of 2017, around the same time Anthopoulos was hired by Atlanta, Fasano got a job as a catching coach with that organization. He held that job until he was dismissed a few weeks ago, though he and d’Arnaud will be reuniting with Minasian in Anaheim.
The move brings the Angels’ projected payroll to $174MM, per RosterResource. That’s above the $170MM they had to start 2024, per Cot’s Baseball Contracts. Owner Arte Moreno has said that the payroll will go up next year, though it’s unclear exactly how high they plan to go. For clubs that missed out on d’Arnaud, the free agent market still features Danny Jansen, Kyle Higashioka, Carson Kelly and others.
Zuñiga, 26, was acquired from the Cardinals in February. He has 19 2/3 innings of major league experience with a 5.03 earned run average. In the minors, he has posted some decent strikeout numbers but walks have occasionally been an issue. He has thrown 113 2/3 innings in the minors over the past three years with a 5.62 ERA, 23.9% strikeout rate and 11.6% walk rate.
He now heads into DFA limbo, which can last a week, as the Angels figure out whether to trade him or put him on waivers. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so a trade would need to come together in the next five days. His fastball averaged 96.9 miles per hour in the big leagues this year and he still has an option season remaining, which could perhaps intrigue other clubs around the league.
Jeff Passan of ESPN first relayed the $12MM guarantee for d’Arnaud (X link). Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register first noted the Zuñiga DFA (X link). Sam Blum of The Athletic relayed the Fasano hire (X link).
So much for the rumor I saw about the Phillies.
He’s from LA and is familiar with Ron Washington.
Thank God that was bs.
There wasn’t any chance he was signing with the Phillies, unless they had a Realmuto trade lined up.
Travis and his brother opened a baseball academy in Southern California recently. Good reason for him to go home.
Makes sense for both sides. I can’t believe he’s 36. Wish Boston had signed him as a back up and part-time DH. His stats sometimes don’t look pretty but he has been clutch beyond those numbers.
To be fair, Travis is a backup. O’Hoppe is the clear #1 for the Angels. Travis would likely get more playing time with JT declining and needing more days off. I didn’t buy the Phillies rumor, but it made some sense.
There was a 1% chance that this story would generate 290 comments, so anything is possible
NIce. Between him and O’Hoppe that’s good offense behind the plate.
I wonder if that would give them a leg up on signing Fried..?
That would be awesome. Nobody enter mentions that Fried is from Southern California. That could be something that the Angels use in negotiations. Fried would be just want the Angels need when it comes to starting pitching.
I think I’ve read on here 125 times that Fried, Flaherty, and Giolito were on the same High School team in SoCal.
Red Sox should sign fried and flaherty.
Get the band back together.
Flaherty will get you nowhere.
Not sold on Flaherty. One good season does not mean he will maintain success. He has a career FIP close to 4, so the only way Sox should sign him is if he’s cheap, which I highly doubt he will be
@rondon That some wishful thinking. It would be great for the Angels to add Fried. Angels really had a top of the rotation guy since Jered Weaver.
The rumor has it Fried wants to play in So Cal, but given Arte’s lack of spending on starting pitching, this is unlikely to happen. Also, a guy that can pick and choose where to play is unlikely to pick the team that won 63 games last year. Fried will likely be a Dodger or Padre next year.
Some would argue Ohtani was a top of the rotation guy.
Yep Dutch. I am arguing for Ohtani.
That’s fair. I can understand,that but 86 starts in 7 years is a little light IMO.
And $6M less you can spend elsewhere.
True but the Angels offense was weak all year and particularly horrid over the second half of the season.
O’Hoppe clearly wore down. After sporting an OPS of .800 over the first half he was .578 in the second half.
d’Arnaud torches lefties so should give Logan plenty of days off while providing a solid bat off the bench.
So while the team is still far from contention we’ve taken 2 weak spots in the lineup (C and DH) and moved them to strengths.
You mean C and CF, right? When Trout goes down with another season ending injury after the first couple weeks, Soler will be starting in CF I think.
@AnglsFan: Advice from a Braves fan who actually likes Soler w/a bat in his hands but covers his eyes when Jorge’s wearing a glove—-you better hope Soler never spends a single inning as your centerfielder.
Well, Trouts going to be out all year again for the 5th year in a row so it’s either Soler in the outfield or a scrub from AAA again.
@AnglsFan: Soler may see time in left or right field for the Angels. I was disagreeing w/your statement that “Soler will be starting in CF I think.” He won’t start in—or even play—CF for them.
You think Soler will be anywhere near CF? He’s too close even being in LF.
Adell made some strides in his D last year so I guess he slides over. Ward in left has the fielding instincts of a gopher. With Soler in right our outfield is gonna suck. I didn’t know Soler was such a bad fielder. On the other hand, he’ll quickly feel right at home here in Anaheim!
Agreed, 6 mil is pretty steep for a 36 yr old back up, but in totality that’s a heck of a catchers room for well under 10 mil.
Maybe in the next agreement they will include a cost of living locker. $6m in CA with those taxes is not the same as if a no state tax team made the offer.
He’ll get taxed on the games played in CA unless he makes his actual residence here, which would be dumb to do.
He’ll also get taxed on the games he plays in NY, Boston, and a host of other cities just like every MLB player does.
I did the math one time and the CA hit wasn’t quite as big as I imagined it would be, pretty close to 5-6% vs. playing and residing in Texas unless you live here.
The difference is less than you think since players are taxed where they play each game.
That private trainer and training facility, nutritionist, and other help. A write off in California, but not in Texas or Florida.
People don’t take that stuff into account.
Lol OK champ. You do realize that 10s of millions of people who make regular people money live and work in Cali ya? You can live well on 6m a year gross anywhere. Sheesh.
One f the few times in recent memory where the Angels have made sense. I was hoping he’d be the back up to Bailey in SF for a little less $..
It would be hilarious if tbis is the move that Anaheim helped them get to the playoffs and win 105 games. This one and Kyle Hendricks.
Still work to do but it would be exciting for LAA fans to have a REAL shot at a Wild Card spot after so many disappointments especially after losing Ohtani.
I hope they manage Mike Trouts health and he has a comeback year!
Like convince him to DH maybe 35 games.
Angels in the Outfield? Halos?
Trout will refuse to DH, insisting on playing center field next year, run into the wall in the 2nd week of games and be out for the year with some kind of weird injury.
Rendon will stub his toe in the offseason and won’t play a game for the Angels next year.
They’ve already said he’s open to moving to a corner OF position and they plan to DH him on occasion. Not really an Angels fan I guess.
Better to convince Trout to DH 5 games then rest, 5 games then rest, 5 games….
It was clear he was should have been DH’ing a great deal no later than April 2019.
That he was still taking the field after 2021 is a testament to (A) Trout’s idiocy, or (B) well, there is no B since Trout holds the cards in this case.
“Incredibly Brittle Superstar with 80 IQ Insists on Playing CF Despite Getting into Just 319 Games Since the Start of 2020.”
Incredible, really.
YaGottaBelieveAgain: “Still work to do but it would be exciting for LAA fans to have a REAL shot at a Wild Card spot after so many disappointments especially after losing Ohtani”
So, you think we will go from a .455 and 17 GB season WITH Ohtani to a wild card spot after signing a soon-to-be 36 year old catcher with a sub 1 career WAR to a $12m contract? I don’t believe that is likely. Arte’s wallet will be thrilled your still tryin’ to believe.
I think there is still a lot of offseason left for LAA to add (and lose) some players to increase the possibility of making the playoffs. I can’t watch every minute of every game I’m not an AI cyborg I need sleep.
I also do believe in general that Ron Washington has the leadership chops to get them to play better If most players choose to listen to him and buy in/cooperate with sincere effort..Teams without depth or enough $ can’t overcome key injuries also. Play aggressive but not reckless
If the job was so easy previous managers would have had the Angels in the playoff every year. It is not an easy division, most aren’t.
I might replace the word hilarious, myself, with absurd, bizarre or crazy!
Maybe even add ….The ESA had better chances to follow the orbit of Comet 67P then land the Philae Probe (from the Rosetta Spacecraft) onto said moving Comet 67P at a distance of 510 million Kilometers from Earth than the chances that the Darnaud and Hendricks moves will be the 2 transactions that gets LAA to 105 wins
But you knew that haha
You may be out near the aphelion on that one.
Tip of my space helmet’s visor for that one.
Between “aphelion” and “robust,” two words nearly forgotten that recently surfaced in internet comments, it’s a fine week to be alive.
Out near Aphelion? Just wait a moment – I’ll come around
Your forgetting Solar.
Logjammer D”Baggagecling —
Snuff out the joint and keep searching.
What are they going to do with O Hoppe?
Trade him to the Cubs with a year supply of In n Out double doubles for Miles Mastrobuoni, Patrick Wisdom and 2 year supply of Culver’s burgers.
O’Hoppe is staying. This is a backup catcher move. Plus adding a veteran will help O’Hoppe.
Sure. Because only a bunch of morons would pay a B/U Catcher 12 million bucks.
$6 million for a backup Catcher that won’t hurt you defensively and can actually contribute offensively is actually not a bad deal.
It’s six million a year. Which is big whoop today.
@halos11fan. Yeah not a big deal, but didn’t they trade stassi to offload salary.
That’s that Arte Moreno thinking. 6 million spent like ass is still 6 million spent like ass
That’s what Hoyer thought about Gomes. He actually was good the first 2 year deal he got. Then Hoyer gave him a 2nd 2 year deal and he was good the first year and then fell off a cliff. Probably why he wasn’t interested in doing it again.
RSox. This team had zero depth last year.
This team won’t be competitive, but actually being able to field a major league team when plan “A” fails is a huge improvement.
Plan “B” got swept by the White Sox last year. Let that sink in.
I don’t ever want to see a mediocre AA team in an Angel uniform again.
Including Discount Jed giving 16 million to Tucker Barnhart lmao.
@halos11fan now they need to get Hai soeng kim
Who? Hoyer? Cubs only paid Barnhart like 4 million for 2 years. Not sure what was going on there. He was supposed to be a cheap platoon with Gomes but both stunk. Barnhart didn’t even make the first year.
If you are doing it for 2027, fine.
The Angels are going into this year without a healthy shortstop. Trout who hasn’t been healthy in years. Holes at 3rd, RF and 2B. No depth.
One RP, who has yet to be healthy for a full season. A mediocre at best staff, no depth.
A so-what firstbaseman (2 percent bat speed), a catcher that has not developed yet,
What’s the point? At this point, I just don’t want to see a AA team on the field.
You literally just described why this signing is ass.
He signed early with a bad team. Why? Cause he woke up to a text from his agent that said 6 million and couldn’t believe he was getting that offer. Angels overpay again and he’s not even part of the engine of the team. 6 million for a brake light
I understand your point. Let’s assume there are 200 ABs at DH. What happens if O’Hoppe gets hurt again?
Who the hell are they going to throw the ball to?
I saw a mediocre AA team play far too often last year. Having an actual major league backup catcher is something I’m not going to complain about.
Playing major league players is a good thing.
He was only part-time in Atlanta. Played in 99 games this past season. Less last year.
You’re going to see a mediocre AA team until past this contract. It’s a wasteful expense.
Yes, this is actually a great deal for the Halos. Travis d’Arnaud is an excellent mentor for younger pitchers, he will be an excellent mentor for their younger catcher, and he’s a great bat off the bench late.
Also, I really like the Fasano hiring by Wash. Him and Ron are extremely familiar with eachother, Travis is familiar with Fasano, and they’re all going to help with the team chemistry and with the culture.
Great low risk, move by the Angels. If I’m an Angels fan I’m definitely giving this two thumbs up, and glad they’re actually heading in the right direction thus far this offseason.
There’s no point in handing out huge deals for one free agent. They need depth and they need more quality players all around. Adding valued, quality veterans for low to middle level costs is a great way to help your team build a winning culture, and I think the Angels are doing a solid job thus far.
Im not saying they’re going to all of a sudden turn into a contender or anything, but they’re making the right moves to help build a winning culture and improve their clubhouse with veteran leadership.
Plus, who doesn’t love some veteran “presents?” lol
Go look at the platoon splits.
I fully expect to see a mediocre MAJOR LEAGUE player.
Which sure beats what the Angels were playing last year.
I might have been thinking of someone else. For some reason I thought Jed gave Barnhart 16mil over 2 years. Maybe it was Mancini that got 16mil
@halos11fan. Like perry said yesterday he needs to strengthen the bench. Seems like he plans on kingery being a defensive replacement and pinch runner. That’s what he said on foul territory.
Do you want me to say your backup C position is in better shape than last year? Ok I will it is
Do you want to agree with me you didnt need to spend 6 million to get it improved?
So why put attention and resources into a back up catcher when there are so many needs?
@thegr80ne you just said you don’t follow the angels. How do you know what they need. Arson judge was asking for 7.
O’Hoppe struggled mightily against LH pitchers last year and wore down.
I watched most every Angel game last year. This isn’t going to put them over the top, but I enjoy watching major league players.
If I wanted to watch minor league players, I can drive into town and see a AAA game.
Being able to play a major league player when plan A available is not a bad thing.
Who? Barnhart? Oh yeah, I forgot about him.
That’s all I’m saying as well. 6 million for a backup catcher. You can preach culture to the nobody left on the roster when they are competitive again. It’s a luxury you can’t afford is what I’m saying. Other needs elsewhere. 2 year deals for guys you’ll have forgotten about in 3 years shouldn’t cost 6 million
I said I don’t follow the Angels on a backup catcher in the minors level
Lifelong Mariner fan literally. We were both born the same year. I feel comfortable to be able to address the Angels needs at the MLB level
Since the cap is meaningless, I don’t care. It’s not like the six million will hurt.
I don’t know why you are so interested in the price tag. They are not close enough to bring in a good free agent, so what else are they going to spend it on?
Don’t spend it. You just said they aren’t close enough. Get some kids up there. Do something towards the future this move isn’t. It’s Angels grabbing onto mediocre so they won’t be bad on the road to good.
But I want to watch major league players.
I can’t believe you know so much about this organization that you know where the money goes.
That’s 6m per year there bro, and if there’s any position where you do over spend a hair, it would be the more injury prone catching position. Nobody should have a problem with adding a sold veteran back up at that.
The Angels will never commit to a full rebuild as long as Moreno owns them and Trout is on the roster so the kids will continue to be sporadic as they try to plug holes with veterans. Besides in a way you can call the money for d’Arnaud a wash because if Kyle Hendricks rebounds to even a middle of the rotation starter you’ve gotten a steal for less money than some worse players will get
Not to mention D’Arnaud can still hit, at least as well as guys like Calhoun and Kavadas, that the Angels were unaccountably running out there in 2024.
This move is about mentoring O’Hoppe. Just Hendricks is about mentoring young pitchers who can’t get past what’s going on between the ears. And just to give you a little Angels history. In the early 1990s, the Angels were bad. I mean really bad. In 1992 Hubie Brooks led the team with 16 HR. Let that one sink in. Next offseason it was obvious they weren’t going to compete for a few years. Tim Salmon was the opening day RF in 1993. They traded Jim Abbott, mostly due to a miscommunication with his agent, and got JT Snow to learn the ropes at 1B. Damion Easley was their rookie 2B. Gary DiSarcina was going into his first full season after taking over SS midseason in ‘92. In a big surprise though, they signed Chili Davis to be their full time DH for the next 3 years. His veteran presence was the main reason. The Angels knew they had something brewing. Jim Edmonds was called up that year. Garrett Anderson the next year. This young core, minus Easley’s struggles, broke out in 1995. Chili Davis was there the whole time to provide leadership. And in the midst of all of this, Chili also became an even better player with his first 100 RBI season in ‘93, and in ‘95 he competed for a batting title. So when the time came, even Chili Davis was ready to take it to the next level. There were still a lot of growing pains with that core as they grew bigger with Darin Erstad and Troy Glaus. Halos competed off and on from 1995 through 2001 before winning the World Series in 2002. And one of the important factors in helping the core that was still there in ‘02 was the presence of Chili Davis. Even when a team isn’t ready, it’s still okay to bring in veterans, and even make a big splash. Because young players need that leadership. Plus, you never know. Just ask the 2023 Rangers who signed a bunch of names before their core was ready and then suddenly popped into contention earlier than expected, and won the World Series. You never know in this game.
I always enjoy reading your perspective on the Angels
I absolutely agree with your comments about building a winning culture! A solid veteran that knows how to prepare and the familiarity with some of the Angels coaches (Former Braves) will hopefully rub off on the young guys coming up!
@RyAnWKrol: Great post. Reminds me of when the Braves of the early 90’s added a supposedly over the hill Terry Pendleton, Sid Bream, and Charlie Leibrandt to their young, developing core.
Sometimes a GM might make a judgement to fill a need early on (in the offseason) and overpay slightly to secure that player and move on to get to fill other holes.
You snooze (or lowball offer) you might lose out and then you have to sign the guy that hits .180
Pair the talented kid with a salty veteran. Pretty standard stuff.
Great point on filling holes early. I could also see it benefiting on the overall chess game of roster building and recruiting potential free agents that are compatible
@twozero6ix. Nothing They need a backup catcher. Now they can trade thaiss. He was rumor to have trade interest last year.
O Hoppe is the starting catcher Travis d’Arnaud becomes the backup catcher the Angels could trade Matt Thaiss now
LMAO! Trade him for whom! All of 0.6 WAR!
This is just a move to give O’hoppe more days off or play at DH on occasion. O’hoppe had a horrendous end of the year and likely due to increase in workload.
12 year career
8.4 career WAR
Angels gonna Angel
What exactly do you expect out of your back up catcher? It’s very doubtful they were going to get a 5.0 WAR per year guy to be the backup to O’Hoppe.
I expect you don’t give 12 guaranteed to a bum
That’s reasonable I’d say.
Bet you got some kid pre arb that can backup catch and reallocate the money somewhere useful
12 years this man has played and done nothing. Pay him his money!!!!
Travis d’Arnaud is not close to being a bum. A solid MLB veteran and a total professional who grinds out at-bats and sets an excellent example for young players. Fans should stop thinking that stats like WAR are the only way to measure a player’s value.
He doesn’t grind out too many at bats he’s averaging 250 a year for his career
Angels gonna Angel
Dudes in the twilight of his career and he came to Anaheim. If he’s the solid pro you say why couldn’t he get that from a contender.
@thegr80ne. I rather have a old backup catcher that is somewhat decent at hitting. Also thaiss gets called for catcher interference all the time
So you think 6 million for a guy who’s gonna play 40 games and maybe go 1-4 is money well spent? Look around that roster and you tell me with a straight face that 6 million isn’t better spent elsewhere.
@thegr80ne. Who’s the backup catcher thaiss isn’t the guy.
I dunno I don’t follow the Angels like that but I’m sure you’ve got some kid floating around you wanna see more of.
Bet this winds up as a top 10 contract for backup catchers this year. Angels don’t have the luxury of that. Rule 5 draft coming grab a kid and stash him. Too many other needs.
You need a basehit post, “Gr8One”… you’re oh-for your last 20 posts. Better get a hit next time or you’re relegated to the bench yourself!
Damn who let Gwynning out of the playpen when the adults are talking AGAIN..
@Thegr8one. The catchers in the pipeline are 32 year Olds. They had one in quero, but they traded him for giolito.
d’Arnaud is clutch and a clubhouse leader. He will add 2 wins to your team before he even gets an AB just with his game calling and planning alone.
Adults? Where?!?!? Lol
Good thing you got a knock there, Gr8y!
This rebuild would look a lot better with Quero and Bush still in the fold.
Shipping out Kyle Bradish for Dylan Bundy is another gut punch.
We do have 2 decent-ish catching prospects but they are 18 and 19 years old and neither has advanced past High A.
Game calling from the bench? Head scratcher there
2 wins before an at bat when he’s been worth 8.4 wins after 12 years of at bats. Head scratcher there.
@SoCalBrave,
Sometimes that’s what a rebuilding team needs. One can imagine him being an outstanding mentor for O’Hoppe and other young players. Washington likely sees great value in adding d’Arnaud to the squad. And it’s not as if the financial terms are outlandish.
Mets and Phillies fans are probably glad d’Arnaud is out of the division.
He’s no Gretzky
Imagine calling an above average hitting catcher with mostly solid defensive metrics a bum. Austin Hedges just got $4 million dollars, please tell me where you are going to get a better backup catcher in this years FA pool.
I’m not going to pile on you, but I am going to point one thing out. The Angels already have a young #1 catcher. Getting another young guy as a backup is going to miss out on a veteran to help out the young O’Hoppe and worst case scenario, potentially undermine O’Hoppe and create friction.
If the #1 catcher was a veteran, then I would agree with your position 100%. You don’t need a guy like d”Arnaud to back up a vet. Which is what made the past two years in Atlanta so puzzling.
Way to go using batting average to bolster your “argument”.
Dude had a .740 OPS last year and he mashes lefties. Good deal for the Angels.
Now if they come out and say, “Well, we tried to get Blake Snell (or some other top guys), but we just couldn’t go any higher because of what we gave our backup catcher”, then sure…
@TheGr8one (not so great on this comment)
Tell me who you would’ve signed as the ‘depth’ or backup catcher, name names, I’ll wait.
Tell me what you want from a guy, who since 2020, has played the following amount of games 2020, 44 games, hit .321, 2021 60 games hit .221, 2022 107 games hit .268, 2023 74 games hit .225, 2024 98 games hit .238
It’s not good enough I hear you say. Do you know anything about baseball? Here’s a guy that doesn’t play every day, has decent enough stats for the amount of times he has played, do you think there is an on/off button for hitting when he doesn’t play every day, even the every day league average player is lucky if he gets 2.5 hits per 10 ab, and you’re whining about a guy who is a little less than that and doesn’t play every day. Furthermore, Travis has had time off with concussion issues in the past, so that would have affected him as well, and he’s a solid defender behind the plate and calls a good game. There’s reason Braves pitching was good in 2024 and that relates to TDA calling good games, most of the time.
He’s a solid veteran presence, a magnificent team man, and he’s good to have around the team. Get some clues before you start bagging people.
That anger will pass post puberty
And take his d’Arnaud out your mouth when speaking. Jesus man you just used magnificent about another man.
@Thenotsogr8one
It appears you can’t name any names, thought so. Plenty to say, but nothing to add.
I’ve already said who should be the backup catcher multiple times I don’t know their names and I don’t care. Bring someone up from AAA or wait for it, grab one in the Rule 5 that you have to stash anyways. Y’all talking like this is a competitive team during this deal it isn’t. Therefore you’re wasting moving the team toward success. If he’s everything you say he is why’s he going to a 90+ loss team for what’s likely his last deal? Atlanta didn’t think he was worth it at 2/12 or he’d have stayed. Anaheim overpaid it’s a turd of a deal and it helps not at all long term. Arte Moreno doing what he does. Doesn’t understand tomorrow only today.
@Thenotsogr8one
AA may have still been going to offer him a deal, you don’t know that at all. AA has other priorities to deal with at the present, so it may have been the case that the Angels snuck in the offer and TDA accepted it, unless you ‘know’ something else.
You still can’t name a catcher that is better to fill this role, not one, notsogr8.
He’s Gr8… at swings and misses! Even Bryce Harper would say he’s a clown commenter, bro. Bags on TDA, the contract, the Angels, etc. but when his feet are held to the fire he can’t name one better alternative. Just a complainer. Moving on!
Dudes and dudettes… Gr8 is DodgerBro. We just figured it out…
L8r DB, shaka brah!
@gwynning I gave up when it was stated he doesn’t follow the angels. Later asked why they couldn’t call someone younger up….. another miss…he needs to wash his hair so he doesn’t have to scratch his head so much…. or just go troll somewhere else.
@Thenotsogr8one
Why have most of your comments disappeared. Too much trolling.
Gwynning, I read that poster’s name as the grating one.
Muted TheGr8Moron
@Gwynning: He also used bwar numbers in his efforts to denigrate d’Arnaud. Travis put up 9.3 fWar in a bit under 1500 ab’s in 5 years for the Braves. That’s about 40% of his career total fWar. His career’s been at it’s best when he played for the Rays and Braves since 2019. Above average when he’s been healthy. Hope he can hold up to concussion concerns.
@Lindor: I don’t mute anyone but TheGr8, Carl Willis the bigoted jerk, and blackpink are prime candidates.
You know that Arte, Trout, Addell, etc are loving Ohtani’s 2 for 19 World Series “performance” as well as Ohtani’s non-existant presence in the NLDS and the fact that winning the World Series was completely ruined for Ohtani by the fact that he won it with LA and not Anaheim.
Or maybe he’s an adult and happy for him.
This is a message board, youre in the wrong place to find adults.
“I expect you don’t give 12 guaranteed to a bum.”
Helpful, anyway, when a comment is so ridiculous that Mute is automatic.
He already left America. He’s already back in Japan.
Oh were you not happy Ohtani didn’t sign with your team? Poor baby. Bashing Ohtani is so pathetic and reflects poorly on the type of person you are. Try to stop blaming others for your failures.
today must be opposite day.
Yeah I’m sure Arte and Co are just thrilled that they’ve wasted Mike trouts career and Ohtani is MVP. can’t think of anything funnier
EHenderson: Speak for yourself. You have no idea what anyone else thinks.
The highlights of the World Series for Angels fans were Ohtanis 0 for 2 in SB.
I actually believe you based on the Angels season I can see how failure is attractive
Ohtani had 3 home runs 10 rbi 14 runs 13 walks in the postseason
He did more than his fair share to help win that world series.
We all know Trout does not care about winning. As look as he has his front row seats to the Eagles in October, he’s fine.
Trout has had the care about winning beaten out of him by injury and Arte. No human could live in that wasteland and not be affected.
Agreed, but Trout can request a trade to Philly and be traded within a week but he won’t do it.
Can he? This isn’t 10 year ago trout. With his contract and injury history you’re assuming Philly picks up the phone.
I’m sure Arte will eat some of the money to help him get to a contender, preferably if it isn’t Boston, New York, or the Dodgers. Even someone stubborn as Arte knows Trout’s career was wasted.
Arte would need to eat in excess of $100 million to move the one player fans still love on the roster.
You don’t pay somebody that much money to not play for you and piss off your remaining fans in the process.
The words “you don’t” and “Arte” don’t belong in the same room
Arte does. His fanbase dies everytime he does but he does a lot.
What gets Trout out of Anaheim is to have a great season and win the Comeback Player of the Year award. The Angels would only have to pay a smaller portion of his contract. Nobody is going to take a chance on him by taking on his current contract.
The fans were happy when Pujols left. Albert was a hired gun who never performed anywhere close to expectations and came across as a malcontent.
Trout is an Angel through and through. Drafted and developed, ROY, 3 time MVP, should be 5, He’s the greatest player in franchise history.
Fans would be out with pitchforks if Arte shipped Trout away.
Exactly. If Trout wants out he needs to help his own cause, which he hasn’t done lately.
7 pitchforks isn’t the threat you perceive lol
I was not happy Pujols left. Why he was not a RH platoon bat is beyond me.
I was happy he wasn’t given everyday ABs, and I was happy Walsh was going to get more ABs.
But there was a place for Pujols. It was stupid to release him.
fred-3: “We” don’t know any such thing, and you have no source of that information.
@Ehenderson. Probably had nothing to with his shoulder that required surgery after game 2.
Without Ohtani’s 3-run bomb to tie Game 1 the Dodgers don’t get past San Diego.
Without Ohtani’s double off the wall and his speed taking third on the missed scoop they don’t win Game 1 of the World Series. Heck, even his foul out was productive, they walked Mookie to face Freddie because of it.
Yes I’m sure that a wealthy team owner, a generational hof talent making a buttload of money and a dude in his 20s getting paid in the high six figures to play pro sports in southern California are just as pathetic and spiteful as you there bud. Lol.
The Angels seem like they’re perpetually in a state of “not tanking but not trying.”
Having bad ownership will do that to you.
This team is just the worst. This move has Lucroy 2.0 written all over it.
You would rather they keep rolling with Thaiss as the backup rather than get a backup that can actually contribute offensively?
`What difference does it make? This team has no direction. Matt Thaiss is fine for a team that lost 99 games last year and has no clear path to a 1-year turnaround.
Or a two year turnaround covering this deal. It’s a waste. Play some kids and see what you got. We’ve seen what Travis has
shortstop – ” Matt Thaiss is fine for a team that lost 99 games last year and has no clear path to a 1-year turnaround.”
At some point moves have to be made to improve so they don’t lose 99 games next year. Thaiss is mediocre at best. You can’t have it both ways: complain that they suck and then complain that they shouldn’t have gotten a good player because they suck.
The Angels continue to turn a blind eye to the things a serious organization needs to do to compete, such as having a holistic draft and player development strategy, along with money to support such a program. For years, they have been trying to trick the fanbase into thinking they will be competitive by signing players such as Cahill, Harvey, Quintana, Lucroy, Rendon, Hamilton, Cozart, etc. Nothing against D’Arnaud as a player or person but this move reflects the same strategy that has failed the Angels for 15 years now.
Couldn’t agree more. But we have to acknowledge when they do actually improve the team, whether on purpose or by accident.
How much is Thaiss worth relative to D’Arnaud? Both were worth 1.2 bWAR/650 PAs over the past two years, and Thaiss is 6 years younger.
I’m not seeing much upgrade for perhaps another $5M.
@joebrady. I’ll spend the extra 5 million so I don’t see a catcher interference every game he catches.
On the surface, you have a point, but there is some nuance.
I think the Halos are prioritizing d’Arnaud’s offense. Thaiss still has yet to hit at league average in his career.
The Angels just finished 14th in the AL in OPS+, so they’re probably looking for more offense, wherever they can find it.
In 2023, d’Arnaud suffered a wrist injury and a concussion which likely caused his lower offensive numbers. Otherwise, he has been a solid offensive contributor with Atlanta.
Thaiss has absolutely no pop and is .196/.289/.277 career against lefties, He’s not a ton better against righties.
d’Arnaud however, blasted 15 HR last year and sports a nifty .257/.336/.469 line against southpaws for his career and hits righties better than Thaiss.
Since landing O’Hoppe, the Angels have gotten to choose between grinding him into the dirt playing him everyday or having a horribly weak spot in the lineup.
Also, there’s been no decent bat off the bench for late in game situations.
d’Arnaud helps with both.
@johnnyangel,
You have to keep eye on d’Arnaud’s stance. If he’s pointing the end of the bat toward the pitcher which is an on and off habit he’s had since at least his Mets tenure, he’ll be hard-pressed to be on time with his swings
@halosheavenjj. Exactly I rather spend 6 million for someone that’s league average, and needs to play for injuries or days off. Instead signing 6 Cole tuckers for the same price.
Wow. Lucroy and d’Arnaud are miles apart as far as team building.
Lucroy was acquired to be the Main Guy, despite an already apparent downward trend.
d’Arnaud is still playing at a solid level and will have the luxury of being a backup.
Yeah I know it’s not an apples to apples comparison, but I’m more speaking to the delusion that comes from paying a veteran catcher when your roster isn’t good enough to warrant such a signing.
Bargain contract
Did they really need to spend 6 million a year to backup one of their better players in OHoppe? I liked the Hendricks signing. This and the trade for Soler I dont like much at all.
And you’re the genius who declared in an uninformed vacuum that Luis Severino isn’t worth $21m for one year even though it’s not coming out of your pocket.
Sorry, but credibility is not your longest and strongest suit.
Tell me how a 63 win team full of holes and one of the better catchers in baseball needs a 6 million dollar backup. Explain it Baron. Make it make sense.
The team signing him believe it makes sense for them.
That’s all that matters. Don’t overthink it.
If you don’t want to read my opinions on signings then by all means put me on ignore. I will keep overthinking it……
BB criticizes other people’s opinions, but when asked to justify his, he says “It doesn’t matter. Don’t overthink it”.
I’m glad I don’t know him. He seems like a really unpleasant person.
I don’t mind disagreement that’s what makes for good conversation. But when I ask someone to explain their position and they can’t thats kinda lame.
The Angels are making weird moves so far. It’s a 63 win team. Your cross town rival just won a world series. Is a 6nmillion dollar catcher or a 16 million dollar DH really the answer?
They may be trying to imulate the Royals strategy, but without the young core.
The Halos own the offseason! Woot! Woot!
They added an O’Hoppe clone. Which is fine.
Perry’s not wasting anytime. He’s been wheeling and dealing pretty much the next day after the World Series ended. Hopefully Arte lets the front office cook.
It is Nov and the Braves already failed the off season.
Gonna miss him in Atlanta. Would rather have kept him and traded away Murphy.
He’s 36 with a history of concussions
He’s still a better hitter than Murphy, regardless of all that.
@bojacksonship: Maybe AA did Travis a solid by easing him out so he could go home to LA and run his newly acquired baseball academy w/his brother (Chase.) Drake Baldwin’s kicking the door down to be Atlanta’s backup catcher. Perfect time for him to do so. Braves roster a backup on a rookie salary (helps w/luxury tax concerns) while Baldwin gets the opportunity to catch 60 plus games as he adjusts to the ML. He can also provide lefty pinch hit power off the bench.
Hopefully that’s the case. I’d much rather see what the kid can do than for Atlanta to sign a lesser backup up than TDA
Travis was great in Atlanta. But no one is gonna trade for Sean Murphy after the last year and a half. Murphy can still right the ship though and Braves have Baldwin who they are high on. I see d’Arnaud playing out his Angels deal and coming back to Atlanta as a coach or maybe even the manager.
@Sadface: From your post to AA’s ears……….make it so…………come back in 2 years little d.
Unfortunately, I could also see him staying in Anaheim and coaching under Wash, maybe taking over when he retires.
Soler, Hendricks and d’Arnaud are name acquisitions for the Angels. Not really all that good but their fans have at least heard of them. Gotta do something to sell a few tickets, because the Angels are not going to contend.
Braves fans are sorry to see Travis leave. He was awesome for us. Pitchers love pitching to him. I was hoping the Braves would have offered 2/$12M.
His HBP by Dee Strange-Gordon was hilarious.
Maybe you feel that way, which is fine, but you can’t speak for “Braves fans” collectively.
Your post should read “This Braves fan is sorry to see Travis leave.”
It’s obviously a cost-saving move for luxury tax reasons.
Have you been to any Braves games? The fans love him.
All teams’ fans love their players but get over it when a player moves on. It’s not an earth-shattering event.
Nice pivot.
There are a lot of older – should be backups but started a lot game in 2024 – type FA catchers this year.
Is this a comp for Higashioka for example? There are others similarly situated watching this signing!
As long as Arte is keeping all the deals 2 years or less (so far so good) and not crossing the CBT there’s little reason to get up in arms about these deals
Its literally just Arte’s pocketbook at stake here, save the bleeding hearts folks
How many teams have two catchers whose last names have a single letter followed by an apostrophe? Let’s go n’Gels! Or a’Gels? Or N’gels? Or A’gels? I can’t decide. A’los?
I decided n’Gels or A’los depending on who’s playing.
However you spell it, they’re targeting contraction.
Matt Thyss most likely getting traded
…as he should.
This one was easy.
O’Hoppe’s splits before and after the ASG:
.276/.328/.472
.196/.266./.312
It’s clear O’Hoppe simply ran out of gas playing in 136 games.
d’Arnaud can give O’Hoppe some much needed rest, give Schanuel an occasional day off, and not embarrass himself at DH.
Perfect fit.
@johnnyangel. It’s exactly what perry said yesterday on foul territory. They will be addressing the bench. He was saying not making excuses we need trout, and Rendon to stay healthy, but we need a deeper bench.
My old teammate back in HS. Comin’ back home! Congrats to the d’Arnaud and his family.
Solid hitter (certified Met killer) but some of the worst defense that I’ve ever seen in my life. Surprised that the Braves let him go, he got a lot of clutch hits for them and Murphy is coming off a really down year
Give you that one…..
d’Arnaud has never been a good defender or handler of pitchers. The Braves coaching staff made him better, but he’s still not that good.
The Angels aren’t contending for the next few years and they have a problem with offense. d’Arnaud has always been an offensive catcher. As someone above noted: Ron Washington knows him and probably worked with him in Atlanta.
It’s a sound move for a team trying to stay out of last place in 2025. d’Arnaud gets to play at home….even if he won’t be on a contending team……and he also got overpaid….so with the $6m salary he can move his family into a 2 bedroom condo in a bad area of Orange County.
I’m not a fan of this move. I think these funds are being mismanaged. This means Thaiss is gone which i don’t completely agree with. Yeah, O’Hoppe ran out of gas but there may have been other ways to go. Travis is nearly 36 and they’re investing $6M/yr into that. I think investing into relievers and get whatever you get from OHoppe and Thaiss. They possibly ran Hoppe into too many back to backs. This off-season outside of Soler is head scratching
D’Arnaud is an upgrade to Thaiss. Thaiss is a career 81 OPS+ player, D’Arnaud is basically league average. There are all kinds of other stats that show this is an upgrade for a backup catcher.
I get that but this cheap angels and normally I’m all for spending on leadership. But spending on depth guys vs adding keys is where I’m thinking. Add this guy cool, but show me you’ve added key player which will augments Travis can do to the team
Omarj;
LOL
Under Atre when haven’t the Angels funds been mismanaged?
Thaiss is horrible. That’s the hill you’re dying on?
It’s Only November 12th ____ Many Days till Spring Training.
I’m calling it also forget the trickster Groundhog an Early Spring coming Farmers Almanac is never wrong is it?
Does this mean he will be hurt 12 games in?
Rendon has that covered.
And Trout.
Angel fans hahaha
“We signed kyle hendricks & travis darnaud. We got a shot at the pennant now!”
You got a shot at a top 5 draft pick now
Who said those things?
The Angels fan in his brain did, of course.
I must have missed those comments mr. coltrane.
So much for him going to the Orioles.
More McCann
Just let the guy retire with the Braves. He deserves that. Love AA but the penny pinching for guys who have everything for the team is disappointing. Realistically it would have not cost mucb to keep him. Love Murphy but Murphy is an overrated player, this coming from a Braves fan.
@bravos4life: Braves obviously see Drake Baldwin as being ready to assume catching duties in Atlanta. Rookie catcher on minimum salary is good for luxury tax concerns. Baldwin’s 24 and will be eligible for the Rule 5 draft after 2025. Time to get him in Atlanta to see if he’s a viable backup/starter going forward. Also possible that d’Arnaud wanted to go back home to LA to help his brother run the baseball academy they started this past year.
Sal Fasano goes from being a catching consultant to asst pitching coach? I mean, I know you need to be able to communicate with pitchers by being a catcher (which is why there are more former catchers becoming managers than any position), but this seems new.
I was about to make a post commenting on this. I misread it at first, but I was looking at his stats and immediately thought “wait, dude was a MLB catcher, what’s he doing being an assistance pitching coach?”
Catchers have an interesting perspective on pitchers, and their view can be beneficial. I’d imagine he will consult with the pitching coach and have an extra set of eyes on what he sees.
Former catcher Dave Duncan was a pitching coach for decades, including the A’s and Cardinals, producing 4 Cy Young award winners.
Not bad. Gives the Angels much needed depth behind the plate and should be a good mentor to O’Hoppe.
Good luck Travis. You were always a gamer. I hope you and Wash have a great time
Good backup and you can have in there as a dh if needed as well. Solid signing. Angels have been active, good for them.
Braves Clubhouse losing D’Arnaud & Morton. Good to get younger, not so sure it’s good to lose those two veteran voices.
They made almost a combined ~30M last year totaling 2.2 bWAR. That buys you a heckuva lot of Knut Rockne-like clubhouse speeches.
Morton may be back, he said he intended on playing next season.
Our loss, their gain.
i remember that jays trade years ago…
mets got Travis d’Arnaud & Noah Syndergaard
looked like a steal at the time for the mets
didnt turn out the way i thought it would
Travis and Noah played in a World Series for the Mets. Worked out well enough for a while.
Good for Perry playing a GM game. That is not going to fill the seats as even the most homer fans know that the Angels are not winning anytime soon.
@aragon. Atleast I don’t have to watch a 36 year old catcher from single a get called up. The Homer fans want them to sign Soto, and set the team back another 5-6 years.
Ha ha!
I thought he would have been a good fit in San Diego. Since d’Arnaud is the better catcher, now maybe Preller can get Higgy to sign for a little less than that to come back to the Padres.
Took a look at the posts on the site and the Angels have made 3 incremental improvements in Soler, Hendricks, and now d’Arnaud. Not a bad start to the offseason considering we haven’t gotten to the Winter Meetings yet.
Won’t get them to 70 wins, but takes them out of the running for a 100 loss season. Angels fans, other than starting pitching what are the team’s biggest needs?
Mostly starting pitching, still. Need on more big bat. Have a few interesting options in the minors that may get a shot, both bats and pitchers.
@kellin would mind a sp, rp, and Hai seong kim. He can play ss until neto comes back. Rengifo only has a year left it’s time to move him at the deadline.
@rex right now the team should keep Rengifo. There’s some unknown going on with part of the infield. Rengifo can play several positions (maybe not well), and he’s better offensively than Rendon at this point.
@kellin was saying trade him at the deadline. I would cash in on rengifo, and take my chances on the younger kim brother. Rengifo is alright at 3rd. Everything else sucks.
Ha Seong Kim is out until June at the earliest. He won’t start his throwing program until after the season starts according to Preller. We loved him here in San Diego.
If you are talking about Hye-seong Kim, he has been almost exclusively a 2B in Korea the last 3 seasons.
@pads I was talking his brother hai.
Other than both being Korean, Hy-Seong Kim and Ha-Seong Kim are not related.
@pads. Everything appeared that they were related. Same positions. Practically the same name, and the numbers look similar. I swear they said brothers on locked on angels oh well. Either way I want them to sign him. He might be able to bunt.
Someone that is either a third baseman or can play the position. I mean, Rendon is a lock for multiple IL stints, Angels need someone to fill in for him.
@acoss you forgot about Rengifo. He’s not a a huge threat, but he at least had a wrc+ of 117 and a fWAR of 1.4 last year before he got hit, and was hitting 300.
Ah, you’re right, Rengifo is a pretty good player. He’ll fill in nicely for whenever Rendon gets hurt.
Hi Pads. I’d say bull pen and situational hitting instead of hitting for the fences every at bat. Get them on, get them in. It’s a lost art that I was hoping Washington would revive. That’s how games are won (coupled with pitching of course).
So now they’ve added 2 professional hitters this offseason, solid start.
Who’s the other professional hitter?
Not Soler?
Kurt Suzuki 2.0
Nah. He’s better than Suzuki. Has more power, and generally had better stats.
Suzuki was fine when he signed in Anaheim.
Then he sucked.
I will not be surprised if the Angels kill yet another career.
The Angels first rounder, Moore, played a little bit in AA hitting well. Not many home runs but they will come. And he’s got a little leg kick now. That is a great news. But he is not a good defender even at 2B.
@aragon moore was raking. All the homeruns he had were in the first week, he had a cold streak for a week, and got hurt. The defensive part. I didn’t see I was watching trash panda games. Just keep in mind they said they samething about schanuel.
Get Moore to spring training and see how he develops under Wash.
He is young, he has plenty of time to develop as both a fielder and hitter.
Bad move for my Braves letting TDA leave.
Speechless …… another old body ….
Good move for the Angels. This is one of those “on paper” good moves for both teams. Clearly TD wasn’t worth 8 mil per year given the 6 AAV, and TD got more money overall in this deal so he’ll be better off overall also. But off paper, I think he loved playing for the Braves, would one day be coaching for the Braves, and the Braves prob hurt themselves depth wise by releasing him. I also don’t see us getting someone as good or close enough for much cheaper. I think there will be a large talent gap as our backup next season
@bravesfan: Drake Baldwin will probably be the backup. Will save $5M plus on the luxury tax by having a rookie’s minimum salary in that spot. Time to see if he’s ready. Big power, good contact skills, high walk rate, very low K rate, and strong defensively. What’s not to like about him other than most fans don’t know who he is. “Let youth be served” ………….
All of the additions this off season have played in the World Series.
I like the fact that they are bringing in players that have felt what it feels like to win. They need to kick complacency right out the club house door.
Will Smith is next.
Jays should have done this. Cheap deal for a good catcher.
Why would d’Arnaud play for another teams looking at last place in 2025 when he can play at home?
He clearly jumped at the money in early November because no other team would give him that.
Baldwin is going to get opportunities with the Braves, and TrOmp might get some time as well if Baldwin doesn’t perform yet in his age 24 year.
Our transition into the Braves is nearly complete! When can we expect to win 90 games?
Meet your 2025 World Series Champion, Los Angeles Angels roster!!! Said no one ever, past present or future.
First “real” move for free agency. Who the bleep was the angels catcher last year lol
Well….
You could read the article or the posts.
Is this called intentional ignorance?
Perhaps blissful inattentiveness is in play here…
Or words as if written by Shakespeare is in Play here
Great move Perry, signing new catcher
I like all the new players already
Sign Blake snell 1 yr
Sign Carlos estevez
Trade Mike trout
Cornering the market on 35-year olds!
Let’s see how many former Braves they can get. Joc Pederson is a free agent and is better as a DH than an outfielder. He would fit right in.
The Surgeon General stated that reading EHenderson, Gr8One, Blackpink and DodgerBro’s posts are more harmful to my health than smoking. Who’s got a light?
Angels fans are gonna hate this guy. He just cannot throw out base stealers. So glad he’s gone from ATL. I’m ready to see what Baldwin can do.
D’Arnaud is French for “of the bottom of the West”
I’ouest derriere
Travis may just bring some Bravos know-how west and make a small difference with the pitching staff/calling games and win 1-2 games with his clutch, late-inning, batting heroics. Overall, could be worth 3-6 games in the standings. This is coming from a Dodger fan. Happy to see him out of the NL.
@diphthong. Agreed. He brings leadership that’s missing. Heard that he helps the pitchers with the day’s gameplan even if he’s not playing. Does little thing’s that o’hoppe can learn from. Also can be a emergency dh if injuries happen. I wouldn’t mind if the angels stole kike from the dodgers for the same reason.
The only way d’Arnaud can help the Angels pitching staff is he comes west with a bunch of steroids and artificial limbs.
He’s not a 3-6 WAR player.
2025, remember the titans, remember the 02 angels!!!
Like kingery, noda,
Sign Blake snell, one year
Trade trout to Boston
Travis was terrible with the Mets, better with the Braves.
Does this pave the way for trout to the Braves? If I had to guess, trout goes to the Yankees- oft injured hr power hitter.
The Trout to the Yankees ship sailed several seasons ago….all he is now, is a very highly paid player with a bad back that has seen his best years….we already have a high paid oft injured player in Giancarlo….don’t need another one to clog up the DH position….no thanks…..
@citizen trout doesn’t want to leave, and has a ftc.
RIP Zuniga, cards angels immaculate grid legend
So if you’re Travis… like, why though?
It’s probably about the max he could pull this offseason, so I get that. But you don’t want to give a couple weeks and see if an actual good/fun team wants your services?
Does he just want to relax over the holidays or something?
He’s from Long Beach, so maybe he likes the propsect of playing near his home to finish his career.
The Rays would have been wise to jump in here.
Some players jump at the first team to make an offer because they never know if the next one will be better. Good for Travis chasing dollars instead of rings. He’s won already, so he doesn’t care anymore about winning.
SMART SIGNING