ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Continuing their aggressive start to the off-season, the Angels announced on Tuesday that they had signed veteran catcher Travis d'Arnaud to a two-year, $12 million contract.
Attempting to put a contending team on the field for 2025 after a franchise-worst 63-99 season in 2024, the backup catching position was a point of emphasis for the Angels going into the winter.
"Going through the off-season we felt like adding some experience behind the plate would be really, really important," Angels general manager Perry Minasian said. "Travis just really stuck out for us as someone that can not only play at a high level, but the makeup is off the charts."
The 12-year veteran backstop and Southern California native has served as a stable platoon behind the plate for the last half decade who can impact the game offensively against left-handed pitchers, including an All-Star nod in 2022.
d'Arnaud, who will begin the 2025 campaign at 36 years old, has posted a 102 OPS+ over his last six seasons, all of which he has seen time playing in the postseason with three different clubs including a World Series victory with the Atlanta Braves in 2021. His .380 weighted on-base average (wOBA) against left-handed pitchers since 2021 ranks 18th across the Majors, while his .441 slugging percentage since 2019 ranks ninth amongst catchers over the span.
"He's a winner," said Minasian. "He's played on a lot of winning teams. He knows what winning teams do. He's got the ability to affect the locker room in as positive of a way as anybody I've ever been around. He's great with young pitching, he's great with the coaching staff, he's great with managers, he's just an awesome guy."
With Logan O'Hoppe being projected as the long-term starting catcher and staple of the Angels franchise, d'Arnaud will serve as both a backup catcher with the club, and mentor to O'Hoppe and young pitching core for the Angels.
"I think it's going to be great for a guy like Logan who is coming into his own," Minasian said. "To have somebody with him as part of that tandem (is going) is help his career going forward... The responsibility to (the catching position) in this organization is huge... one pitch can change a game, good or bad. To have a guy like Travis in the mix and for Logan to have the opportunity to not only play with him but learn from him and be around him will be a huge benefit."
d'Arnaud has been a slightly below-average defender behind the plate by defensive metrics, with a career caught-stealing percentage 4.8% lower than league average and year-to-year numbers that fluctuate. In 2024, his blocks above-average and caught-stealing above-average were both in the 37th percentile, while his framing fell to the 53rd percentile and average pop time was in the 70th percentile (Baseball Savant).
While his bat is well above his defense, both d’Arnaud’s offensive and defensive metrics surpassed the perceived 2025 backup catcher in Matt Thaiss, a former first-round pick of the club in 2016 and six-year reserve at Major League level -- three as the backup catcher.
Minasian said that the club will evaluate options for Thaiss, whether serving in a bench role who has infield and catching versatility or could be moved over the winter.
"Matt (did not do) a bad job," said Minasian. "Matt is a young catcher who is coming into his own who really worked hard and will continue to work hard and have a successful career.
"The catching position is so important for our club and to have two players of this caliber on the same team and to feel like we'll be able to put a catcher on the field every day that is going to give us an outstanding chance to win a game is huge."
As the Angels continue to peruse the free agent and trade markets to improve the club, there is comfortability with d'Arnaud as the backup backstop, with stability in defense and offense.
Pitching will continue to be the focal point of the winter for the Angels, with potential growth and improvement in other areas as well.