The Rays had interest in a reunion with veteran catcher Travis d’Arnaud prior to his deal with the Angels, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.
d’Arnaud, 36 in February, spent the past half decade in Atlanta but was a member of the Rays during the 2019 season, when he played 92 games for the club as part of a catching tandem with Mike Zunino and was a key part of the club’s first trip to the postseason since 2013. He split time between catching and playing first base with Tampa, and hit a solid .263/.323/.459 with 16 homers in just 365 trips to the plate. That production was good for a wRC+ of 109, and his excellent work with the Rays served as a springboard for him as he entered free agency that winter.
Of course, d’Arnaud ultimately landed with the Braves prior to the 2020 season and has spent the past five seasons as a fixture of the lineup in Atlanta, catching more games for them than any other player in each season except 2023, when Sean Murphy took over primary catching duties. The veteran has served as a roughly league average hitter overall during his time with the Braves, slashing .251/.312/.443 with a 106 wRC+. That’s just about in line with his production in 2024 as well, as he slugged 15 homers in 99 games en route to a 103 wRC+ with Atlanta this year. Valuable as d’Arnaud has been for the Braves, the club opted to part ways with him this winter with Murphy expected to be healthy enough to resume primary catching duties next year and catching prospect Drake Baldwin knocking on the door at Triple-A.
A reunion between d’Arnaud and the Rays would have certainly made sense given the club’s obvious hole behind the plate. Ben Rortvedt is on the roster as the club’s primary catcher after he posted a decent 87 wRC+ in 112 games for Tampa in 2024, but the club has parted ways with both Alex Jackson and Rene Pinto already this winter. That leaves them in need of a partner for Rortvedt, and preferably one who can become their primary catcher and allow Rortvedt to shift into a backup role. That’s a bill d’Arnaud would’ve fit nicely, offering a substantial upgrade over the club’s 67 wRC+ from the catcher position in 2024. That wasn’t meant to be, however. Topkin notes that d’Arnaud (a native of Long Beach, CA) was motivated to return to southern California, and his two-year, $12MM pact with the club allowed him to do just that.
Even as d’Arnaud landed elsewhere, however, Topkin suggests that free agency remains the best place for the Rays to find an upgrade behind the plate with few options known to be available on the trade market. Topkin suggests that veteran backstops Danny Jansen and Kyle Higashioka could be the best fits for the Rays’ needs behind the plate. Jansen, 29, struggled badly after a hot start this year but was a reliable presence behind the plate for Toronto in a part-time role from 2021-23 with an excellent .237/.317/.487 slash line (121 wRC+) in 754 trips to the plate over those three seasons. Even in his down 2024 season, he hit a respectable .237/.372/.342 against left-handed pitching this year, making him a solid platoon partner for Rortvedt.
Higashioka, on the other hand, is coming off a strong platform season but has less of a track record offensively and is entering the market at age 34. After spending parts of seven seasons in the Bronx, Higashioka split time with Luis Campusano behind the plate in San Diego this season and flashed impressive power with 17 home runs in just 264 trips to the plate. That incredible pace is somewhat stymied by his lackluster .263 on-base percentage, however, leaving him with a 105 wRC+ overall last year. Higashioka’s contributions were fairly split neutral this year as well, making him perhaps a somewhat less attractive platoon partner for Rortvedt than Jansen.
That said, it’s at least possible that Jansen and Higashioka could wind up out of the Rays’ price range this winter. MLBTR predicted two-year guarantees for both players on our annual Top 50 MLB Free Agents list. We predicted that Jansen will land a $20MM guarantee while Higashioka will find a guarantee of $15MM. For a Rays club that RosterResource projects for an $87MM payroll in 2025 after opening the 2024 campaign with a payroll just under $100MM, an annual salary in the $8MM to $10MM range might be difficult for the club to justify when the club could also look to upgrade its outfield mix this winter. Carson Kelly, Elias Diaz, James McCann, and Gary Sanchez are among the other options available this winter who could be had for a lesser guarantee than Jansen and Higashioka if the Rays are looking to save money.
I guess that’s why he got 6 million.
he got 6 million because he is a slightly above Avg league hitter @catcher. plays good defense. is a leader in the clubhouse. and crushes left handed pitching
@jmac70 wasn’t knocking it. He’s was the best available. I’m just doubting the rays were offering him 6. Probably just checked on the price.
The angels are known for overpaying so Travis was probably going to get 4 mil with any other team
I still can’t believe they Braves let him walk…Murphy and Contreras trade hasn’t worked out but at least we still had little d’ smh
@braveshomer: Braves didn’t want to pay him $8M to back up Murphy again. Drake Baldwin on a rookie minimum contract fits their luxury tax needs and might be a better overall option no matter the price. Keep seeing a lot of pundits saying it’s a bad idea to bring Baldwin up “just to be murphy’s backup because he needs to be catching everyday in the minors.” Hogwash. Baldwin’s ready. Might even take Murphy’s job over the next season or two. Good defense, power, contact and walk rate, w/low K’s. Lefty option as a ph too. Going to be disgusted if the braves sign some vet to back Murphy up instead of giving Baldwin the opportunity to bring strong upside value to the position.
Yes i keep hearing about Baldwin. I admittedly don’t keep up with Minor leaguers as much as I should. Still hate we lost d’Arnaud no matter
@braveshomer. That’s what the angels did with stassi, and fletcher gave them away to realize. A utility guy and a backup catcher come in handy when you have no system. Braves need cap space so it makes more sense.
Maybe the Rays sign Gary Sanchez. He still has some pop, and he’s younger than d’arnaud, so he can still give them something and he wouldn’t break the bank.
@acoss1331. I can see them going after higashioka. He’s not much different than d’arnaud
Agreed… for the right price.
Rays have zero interest in Sanchez. He’s never been a good backstop.
Wow, does this mean the Angels actually won something?
No, it’s the Angels.
d’Arnaud will no doubt get hurt in spring training and end up being dead weight throughout his contract.
d’Arnaud alternates a good offensive year with a bad one the past few years. and his 2024 was a good year. If the pattern continues, Angels’ fans will be bemoaning this signing by July.
Tampa offered 1 year $2 million. I kid.
Carson Kelly had a great year with Detroit and Texas. He’d be a solid signing.
But Kelly is not a starter he’s an above average backup
The team that signs Kelly or Jansen will never win. The only time their teams won is when they were on the DL or traded away.
He is overrated; only had a 1.1 WAR season last year. 12 year career only has a WAR total of 8.4
WAR is overrated and I would have been more impressed if you explained how it is derived. A number in a vacuum and then compared to maybe variables.
That’s going price for a catcher who isn’t going to a team a sub-zero WAR season. He’s a vet and leader in the clubhouse which WAR can’t quantify for. Context matters.
I’m guessing d’Arnaud didn’t feel like playing all his home games outdoors during the hot summers in Florida at a Single A stadium.
@notagain27: Especially not when he and his brother Chase just opened a baseball academy 25 miles away from the Angels stadium. He wanted to go home and the Angels contract fit his needs.
Can’t fault him there.
tampabay.com/sports/2024/11/14/interim-stadium-ste…
“According to league data, the stadium’s regular tenant, the Tampa Tarpons, over the last 10 seasons has averaged 6.4 postponements annually, nearly all weather-related.”