The Braves announced Friday that they’ve signed catcher Travis d’Arnaud to a new two-year contract that guarantees him $16MM. The Wasserman client will earn $8MM in 2022 and in 2023, and there’s an $8MM club option for the 2024 season that does not have a buyout.
That $16MM guarantee matches the guarantee on the current two-year deal that d’Arnaud is playing out in Atlanta. He’d been slated to return to the free-agent market at season’s end, but the new contract now locks him in as the organization’s top catcher for at least another two seasons.
Selected by the Phillies with the No. 37 overall pick back in 2007, d’Arnaud quickly became a top prospect who was involved in a pair of trades involving Cy Young winners — the first sending Roy Halladay from Toronto to Philadelphia and the second sending R.A. Dickey from the Mets to the Blue Jays.
After debuting as a 24-year-old in 2013, d’Arnaud would go on to spend parts of seven seasons playing with the Mets. He showed the promise that made him one of the game’s most highly regarded minor leaguers at times, particularly in 2016 when he batted .268/.340/.485. However, d’Arnaud’s time with the Mets was marred by repeated injuries. In addition to undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2018, d’Arnaud also spent time on the injured list with a concussion, a broken finger, a strained rotator cuff and an elbow sprain (a separate one from the sprain that led to his Tommy John surgery).
Despite playing in parts of seven seasons as a Met, d’Arnaud only topped 100 games twice. The Mets released d’Arnaud in May 2019, and after signing with the Dodgers and making a lone plate appearance there, he was traded to the Rays in exchange for cash. Tampa Bay needed catching help with several backstops on the injured list, and what looked to be a short-term depth addition instead turned into a breakout showing that set the stage for d’Arnaud to eventually be paid $32MM from 2020-23.
With the Rays, d’Arnaud stepped up as the primary catcher and enjoyed one of his best and most productive seasons. He appeared in 92 games and tallied 365 plate appearances with Tampa Bay, batting .263/.323/.459 with 16 long balls. He parlayed that strong showing into what is now the first of a pair of two-year, $16MM deals in Atlanta.
D’Arnaud’s first season in Atlanta, while shortened due to the pandemic, was the most productive of his career. He played 44 of the Braves’ 60 games at catcher and turned in a huge .321/.386/.533 with nine homers and eight doubles in 184 plate appearances. He went on to bat .286/.380/.476 in 50 postseason plate appearances.
Things haven’t gone as well in 2021, though that’s again due to injury. After a lackluster start to the season, d’Arnaud went on the injured list in early May with a torn ligament in his thumb that required surgical repair. He returned just nine days ago and has gone 5-for-21 with a home run and four walks in that brief time. Overall, he’s batting .223/.277/.369 through 112 plate appearances this year.
The d’Arnaud extension solidifies the team’s catching spot for the next two seasons, though it also serves as something of a roadblock for 23-year-old William Contreras, who is tearing the cover off the ball in Triple-A this season. Contreras was originally promoted to the big league roster in the wake of d’Arnaud’s injury and got out to a strong start before fading badly. He batted just .204/.278/.387 in 158 Major League plate appearances this year but has posted a massive .313/.368/.583 slash (150 wRC+) with eight home runs in 125 plate appearances with Triple-A Gwinnett.
Extending d’Arnaud gives the Braves the luxury of breaking Contreras in as a backup or part-time option, but it’s certainly possible that he’ll find himself in a larger role over the next two seasons. He’d likely be the first option in the event of an injury to d’Arnaud, and he could simply hit his way into a larger share of the workload behind the plate. The National League could very well have the designated hitter in place next season, which would give the Braves the option of getting both into the lineup at times.
Behind Contreras, the Braves have 23-year-old Shea Langeliers rising through the system. The No. 9 overall pick in the 2019 draft, Langeliers is regarded as one of the top game’s top all-around prospects and is enjoying a strong season in Double-A, where he’s batted .267/.346/.524 (136 wRC+). Langeliers likely wouldn’t be an option until midway through the 2022 season or even into 23, so the d’Arnaud extension isn’t necessarily a sizable deterrent to his ascension through the ranks.
Of course, locking d’Arnaud up for the foreseeable future also frees the Braves to explore the possibility of including one of Contreras or Langeliers as part of an offseason trade package to address other areas of need. A relatively modest two-year for d’Arnaud certainly doesn’t make a trade of one of the promising young backstops a fait accompli, but it’s easier to part with some of that upside if the Braves feel confident that there’s a steady veteran in house.
By signing d’Arnaud now, the Braves sidestep the issue of searching for a catcher on the offseason market. A win-now club in their shoes wasn’t likely to just hand over the starting job to Contreras in 2022 without a contingency plan in place, and the market for catching help looks fairly light. Yan Gomes and d’Arnaud were likely to be the only two starting-caliber options in free agency, assuming the Cardinals do indeed finalize the Yadier Molina extension they’re reportedly discussing at the moment. Gomes might ultimately command a comparable price, though, and the Braves have already established a relationship with d’Arnaud. They clearly value both his on- and off-field contributions to the club, so it’s sensible to keep him around at a price point that won’t significantly impede their offseason dealings.
Even with d’Arnaud now on the books at $8MM next year, the Braves have just shy of $64MM on the books in 2022. They’ll owe arbitration raises to several key players (Dansby Swanson, Max Fried, Mike Soroka, Richard Rodriguez, Austin Riley) and still need to work out an extension for franchise cornerstone Freddie Freeman at some point. Even when factoring for a theoretical Freeman extension and arbitration raises, the Braves should still have more than $20MM — potentially quite a bit more, if a Freeman deal were to be backloaded — separating them from this year’s payroll level.
Wow. I’m really surprised by this.
WHY????
Agreed.
Langeliers is hitting quite well (especially for power) and playing very good defensive.
Contreras has hit exceptional well since returning to the minors.
Is this a sign that one if the up and coming catchers will be trade bait this winter?
Or more a sign they expect d’Arnaud to spend a decent amount of time at DH in 2023?
Honestly I’m surprised D’arnaud accepted. He was likely to be the top guy on the market.
Yes, but considering he has been hurt most of the year, and the new contract is guaranteed for 2 years, it’s not a bad deal for him.
If he hadn’t accept this, he’d have needed his head examined. 8+ years in the majors and he’s played a total of 572 games. And when he does play, he’s just as often not very effective at the plate. Couple that with average/not good defense* and worse throwing arm, and he’s just not that good.
If he stays healthy (a huge ‘if’), this is a good deal for the Braves. If not, the Braves just wasted a little chunk of money, which is surprising from a team that is always scrimping around the edges.
*Fangraphs and B-Ref seem to vary wildly on his defense, with Fangraphs thinking he’s pretty good. Watching many of his games when he was on the Mets, I’m inclined to agree more with B-Ref.
He hadn’t exactly lived up to expectations in his career, with injuries playing a huge role in that. But since signing with Atlanta he has earned every bit of his contract
Seems like they have a jam now at catcher. Contreras and Shea in the minors.
Good price with how little there is at C on the free agent market over the length of his contract. They’re familiar with him. Most likely will add DH to NL that they can sometimes move his bat to preserve him, while creating playing time for Langeliers/Contreras. Now they have him, they can use (most likely) Contreras as trade bait, if they’re comfortable with Langeliers.
Honestly, this is an ideal situation that can allow the team to slowly get a talented up-and-coming C like Langeliers an ideal environment for him to grow and get used to catching full-time, which he’s fully capable of doing.
I could see it being a combination to the DH and an option at 1B if for some god forsaken reason they’re unable to sign Freeman to a new deal. I don’t see Freddie going elsewhere, but I’ve seen crazier things happen so it’s not impossible. Also, they clearly had planned for Ozuna to be a DH, but he may never see the field again.
Take that DH & stick it in the closet. Let’s hope better minds converge & toss the DH into the garbage disposal. Freeman is a lifer, he’s got it all. I am surprised at the knee jerk extension for d’Arnaud. He’s been good, but hurt. However, AA is on top of his game.
You do know that the DH is pretty much a lock next year, right? You are in the minority for wanting pitchers to hit. The experiment was a success last season.
I may or may not be in the minority, but enjoy your “I can’t field because I have a stone glove”. Let’s watch all the washups swing, miss & screw themselves in the ground. Keep the DH in the AL, keep real baseball in the NL
Yeah, seem like Contreras may get traded. Maybe for a starter? Soroka done?
While I can understand pessimism re: Soroka, I don’t know why he couldn’t come back from that injury, especially knowing he’s not overly-reliant on velo (unlike the norm). Sure, the odds are stacked against him based on the number of his procedures, but he’s young and if he fully recuperates a successful rehab (which didn’t happen last time because of the infection), he should be able to see the field again.
His arm isn’t what is hurt, it’s his foot.
Yes, best catchers FAs this year (Posey, Molina) will likely resign or get extended. d’Arnaud better than the rest of the lot.
I’d hope they could find a better bat @ DH than TDA
He wouldn’t DH full-time. No one does any more. It would likely be a time-share at DH. FWIW, d’Arnaud has a .836 OPS in the 25 PA’s he’s had since he came back.
A25 PA sample is worth nothing and it doesn’t matter if it’s full time. If you’re filling your DH with a guy that’s sub 100 wRC+, you’re likely at a disadvantage compared to your opponent.
@RUNDMC You’re EXACTLY correct!! This is the perfect deal for the Braves, and honestly, I think they got him for a great deal too.
With hardly any quality catchers being available next off-season d’Arnaud could have easily pitted a couple contenders against eachother and likely got a better deal. However, with his injury history, this also assures d’Arnaud that he will stay with a team he’s really comfortable with, and it will give him security and stability for his family over the next few years.
Contreras can be the backup next season, and can work occasionally giving d’Arnaud a relative day off as the DH. Contreras still needed some more seasoning at AAA with his work blocking pitches too. Plus, he ended up struggling pretty badly towards the end of his earlier run in Atlanta, so it’ll do his confidence some good to be having some solid at-bats again.
Win-Win all around, excellent deal!!
Seems like a trade of Contreras or Langeliers will happen now not unless one has a hell of a spring, but that could make a trade stronger.
Ehhh, not necessarily, the Braves could work Contreras as the backup next season, while giving him more games behind the plate with the DH available. Plus, Lamgeliers hasn’t even seen AAA yet, so he could work with the AAA staff, and work more on his hit tool until he’s ready.
Now, there likely will be a jam coming in two seasons from now, but thays ONLY if d’Arnaud stays healthy, Contreras excels at the big league level in his opportunities, AND if Shea excels at the AAA level…If anything, you want to keep having two.quality young backstop if you can, but either way it would be a great problem for the Braves to have..
Catchers historically develop slowly for 1. Especially at initial call up
2. Catchers are probably the single most valuable position in a trade. Not a bad problem to have
3. DH is coming. Catchers never catch 100 games anymore. You can carry 2 very good catchers and use them plenty. 3rd prospect seems far enough away, in theory, it doesn’t have to be a trade situation
‘Catchers never catch 100 games anymore.’
18 teams have catchers who have played 80 or more games so far, with 40-ish more left to be played. So this is not true.
He’s worth more
Agreed but another injury prone year knocked down the price
Maybe in Pesos…
I disagree. Dude has never been able to stay healthy. It’s unfortunate, but it’s true.
If he can finally stay on the field which is a big if its a great deal.
Maybe they think more DH time will keep him healthy, and the kids will handle the bulk of the catching. Could go a lot of ways. Hard to not like this deal from team end even if I think it’s a bad deal for the player
w
Catchers take a long time to develop so Contreras and Langeliers can develop on their own pace and come up as needed behind Travis. Plus with the DH there might be room for more catchers (lots of DH time for Contreras)
Contreas won’t be a DH, at least full-time. We will have Ozona back, probably after a 60 game suspension. Hopefully, we have Duvall back, lets not make the same mistake again this winter. Think he has a 10 million option, or a 3 million buyout. What OF can you get for 7 million?
Do you think we will see a lot of extensions happen in this last month before the off-season? Also do you think the Free Agent market will shrink significantly because of this?
Ahh almost exactly what I said the Braves should do a few post ago. I was a bit high on $, but 2 w/ option spot on.
Look, this is a tiny bit surprising… but the Braves got a very real taste of how bad the catching market is. What our catchers have done this year, is actually somewhat common in baseball for all teams… catching is a brutal problem in the mlb at the moment. That said, we have been spoiled with actual good production out of that position for that last 4 + years ish. Hate on Tyler flowers, but he’s better than what we have seen this year to this point lol ..
Bit high? How many players sign for the exact same deal they just signed, unless they’re Nelson Cruz and almost 40? It’s not a big group
He would have gotten a longer guarantee and more money on the market
His prediction was a ‘bit high’. He’s not saying that TDA’s deal was a bit high.
Also, if you think a soon-to-be 33 year old catcher who has never played a full season, who currently has an OPS+ of 67 and is coming off yet another major injury, would get a ‘longer guarantee’ of more than two years and ‘more money’ than $8 million per, then we have different ideas about the market. And apparently TDA doesn’t agree with you, either, otherwise he would not have taken this deal.
Contreras is trade bait and shea still needs to develop! Love this deal. Yeah his playing should earn him more money I agree. These players taking discounts to stay here says something is going right. Now to lock up Freeman.
He’s an oft injured catcher that will be 33 years old to start next season…I doubt he took much of a discount.
Wow what a large overpay.
How so? If he’s an average catcher he’s easily worth this deal and he could be much better than that. Plus a club option for the third year.
While I don’t think it’s a large overpay, saying that if he’s average, when he hasn’t been, that he’ll easily be worth it, doesn’t seem like a great rebuttal. He was good in the shortened 2020, but he’s gonna be 33 and he has injury issues. Him not being average is a very, very real possibility. That said, 8m shouldn’t matter much even with the braves being more mid-market-y
He needs to be a 1 win player to be worth it. If he’s not that, something really bad went wrong
8M is nothing in today’s game
It’s cheap enough that if they need to move him for a prospect they will have no problem. Catching prospects are so hard to project, though, that I’d never give up a serviceable starter because of a logjam in the minors.
It’s a “pandemic” on how bad catching has gotten across the league. Braves actually have a couple prospects that could turn into something special, but their floor is prob better than what league avg is at the moment. Keeping TD is only a good thing
Lots of teams have catching prospects, many of them don’t work out, or get shifted off the position. I think you over rate Braves’ prospects and/or under rate them from other teams. Per fangraphs, Shea Langeliers is the 9th best catching prospect. Are you just talking about defense?
I think you are also over estimating what their floor might be (again, unless you are just talking about defense).
Remember when everyone was so ready to move an older catcher (Gattis) for the hotshot phenom (Bethancourt)? Turned out Gattis had a little left in the tank and CB sucked. Great deal for the Braves, even if he is a backup.
@1984
I think Langeliers is in the 50-60 range of baseball America’s top 100, he is putting up great offensive numbers this year at catcher, and has the fastest pop time in baseball. I’d say he is the one prospect the braves fans don’t overrate. He should be something pretty good.
Scott Boras is Freeman’s agent he wants at least a 200mil contact for 7 years and seeing he’s the only good first baseman on the market the braves might be in trouble cause the Yankees, Redsox , Giants, Dodgers ( his hometown) are all in need of a gold glove power hitting first baseman.
Not true, by hey, don’t let facts get in the way.
Ironically, I think he’ll be too expensive for the Dodgers and they have MM (although idk when his contract ends.. At some point, you have too many big contracts on your books. The others seem reasonable guesses. I doubt the giants also. I also doubt the yanks. Red Sox could be a option as making a lot of sense, but I don’t see it. I think he’ll be a brave …. If not, maybe those California teams move things around
10 second google search shows who represents Freeman.
Wow, the level of stupidity in this comment, where do you get such wrong information?! His agency is Excel Sports Management not Boras Corp ♂️
King Tut: Isn’t that called a mistake, not stupidity?! Are you an ***hole or something??
You are what you eat I guess…!
You be a Pink eye then my friend
No, when it’s something you could easily check in about the same amount of time it takes you to make the post, it’s stupidity or laziness.
He’s trying to say Boras being his agent means he’ll want big money
So Boras not being his agent is a little more than just a mistake
1984: So with that magic wand of yours you were able to determine that it was stupidity, not just a mistake? Final answer Self-Important Ass-Hat?
A.D. seems like a really caustic individual. I’m glad I don’t know him in person.
bhambrave: What something “seems” to you is irrelevant, you defaming Soy-Boy.
Like I said…
30 mill a year until he’s 39, and he’s probably already past his prime?! No thanks.
Nowhere has it been said he wants 30 million dollars a year, or wants a contract until he’s 39- are you speculating, or parroting the guy above who didn’t even know who Freeman’s agent is?
No one will know the numbers until the deal is signed because that’s how the Braves operate. And as long as Freddie stays a Brave, I don’t really care about the numbers.
Appalachian: That’s not what “parroting” is, ass-hat.
Actually, it is…
Dodgers have Muncy and could always move Bellinger back to First Base. I don’t see them offering $200 million to anyone. Let alone a First Base only First Baseman
Bloom will not be handing out any $200 million dollar contracts to anyone. With Dalbec seeming to turn a corner offensively and has played solid defense all year and Casas is coming soon. That money would be better spent on pitching and maybe extending Devers
Yankees are possible but have very little coming off the books this winter so they may try to re-sign Rizzo, who would cost much less than Freeman
Giants have money to spend, even if they re-sign Posey. They could certainly be possible
Dark horse teams could be Milwaukee, Toronto, and Seattle. Toronto being the most likely to be willing to spend big money on a free agent (either Vlad Jr. back to 3B or DH). Milwaukee does have three 1B under team control for next season (Hiura, Tellez, Vogelbach) but with their pitching staff the window to win is right now. However, money could be a factor. Seattle, if they feel they are close enough to contending could use the big name player and veteran influence. They can always DH Evan White or send him back to the minors as he still looks over matched by Major League Pitching. The Mariners have never been shy about making a splash (Robinson Cano, Nelson Cruz) and now may be the time
So much misinformation and you’ve yet to back down from it. Pathetic
I’m not surprised, this was a move that had to be made at a premium position. Contreras and Langerliers aren’t ready for full time duties. Smart move by AA.
NL east predictions
Braves
Mets (injuries)
Phillies
Marlins
Nats
Don’t tell me the Braves got injured. Ik they did. Just wasn’t as impactful as the overall injuries the Mets had to deal with.
Lol only lost their ace, both catchers, and their whole starting outfield
Do you want me to read to you what the Mets lost?
Hold on, let fine tune my tiny violin.
Phils will be finishing ahead of Mets.
MetsFan22: The Mets lost a lot. You however have lost your cotton pickin’ mind! That’s if you ever had one after all that stuff you’ve been smokin’. Just sayin…
Haha, what happened to, “the mets will win despite the injuries”? You’re a joke.
Braves (injuries)
Phillies (injuries)
Mets (injuries)
Marlins (injuries)
Nats (injuries)
You can’t seriously compare injuries right… I thought Braves fans were smarter than that.
When Ynoa, Acuna, d’Arnaud and others went down, I saw you say multiple times, “Don’t use injuries as an excuse when the Mets run away with the East.” So, ya know, probably just wear the fact that you were overconfident and ended up being wrong rather than insulting others for not agreeing on why you were wrong.
Most teams have had more than their share of injuries this season. The good ones don’t use it as an excuse. They find a way to win. The Yankees are a recent example. The Dodgers, too. And certainly the Braves.
If I was a Mets fan, I would be worried about my team’s meddlesome owner. Visiting the clubhouse and calling out players via social media send a terrible message to prospective free agents, including those already on the Mets roster. It’ll also make it difficult to find the right people to run the organization.
Cohen is a casual fan who has no idea how to properly build a winning baseball team. He sees himself as a superman and makes everything about him. He’s a disaster waiting to happen who has already signed off on some ill-advised player personnel moves, Mets fans will be longing for the “good old days” of the Wilpons.
By the way, do ou still think Alonso is better than Muncy? If so, why?
You’re clueless.. those teams didn’t come close to the Mets in setbacks injuries this year. Ik the Braves and Yankees are sitting in 3rd place rn if they had the Mets injuries luck.. stop with your false narrative…
You just need to be permanently muted – hot takes left and right with zero consistency.
@Metsfan22:
Excuses, excuses, excuses.
Metsfan22 is too amusing to mute. He’s always good for a laugh.
The Mets don’t have anyone nearly as good as Acuna. Re the Yankees, I should have been clearer as I was referring to their rash of injuries a couple of years ago. As for now, the Yankees are better than the Mets regardless of injuries. All the Cashman-bashing Yankee fans should give the guy credit for his deadline moves.
You need to stop overrating the Mets’ talent. Offensively, they are last or near the bottom in every meaningful category Should the Mets choose to clean house this writer, those studs of yours would bring very little in trades.
Alonso or Muncy? One of these two is batting better than .400 with RISP.
One of those is hitting in anti Coors….
Degrom is better than acuna. That’s why he makes him loook horrible when they play each other…
Excuses, excuses, excuses.
“Degrom is better than acuna. That’s why he makes him loook(sic) horrible when they play each other…”
The sample size is too small to say that. In 2020 and 2021, Acuna has had seven at-bats against deGrom, and has three hits.
I don’t know if anyone is arguing that deGrom is not better than Acuna. You’re comparing an apple to an orange though. deGrom is at the top of his game (possibly past?) while Acuna is still learning the ropes and putting it altogether. Even to compare a 23 y/o Acuna to a deGrom is his prime tells you how good Acuna is.
The Mets aren’t a good team. They won’t be a good team next year. Enjoy your 1/2 season of 1st place, you won’t get that experience very often.
Hitting at Anti-Coors didn’t both Muncy last weekend. Which player would you rather have and why?
@metsfan22
When Acuna went down :”don’t use this injury as an excuse when the braves lose the division.”
Also metsfan22: “mets winning division with eyes closed.”
Bit of an optimist aren’t you, @bravos14?
Still thinking that the mets’ll fight off the Marlins for 3rd place, uh?
I’m not too sure about that. mets are in free fall. & I don’t see a bottom.
Nooooo, the Mets are a shoo-in!
I thought the Mets had the division locked up in June with that massive 4 game lead? Lol.
Hate to break it to you, but the Mets ain’t the only team that has/had injuries either.
Boras is NOT Freeman’s agent he is with Excel. Freeman is the “Engine” on this team. He has expressed a desire to be a Brave for his career and the team wants him too. He will get a deal north of the Goldschmidt contract. I’m guessing 5yrs at 27AAV.
I don’t know if the metrics support this, but it seems to me that Travis has been getting more borderline strikes called than the other Braves catchers. I could be wrong.
Fangraphs has him rated as a good framer.
Like others, I feel Contreras is going to be trade bait. I think Shea us going to be the one they’re looking to take over after a little more time in the minors.
I’d have loved it if my Mets had a chance to sign him but they probably burned that bridge anyway with the way they released him due to a Jeffy tantrum so I guess it doesn’t matter. Good for d’Arnaud! I’ve always been a big fan of his.
Massive overpay for a 1 WAR catcher….I guess the Braves deserve it for flat out robbing Ozzie Albies.
Hell he’s not even a good defensive catcher
Ozzie had a serious wrist injury when he was in the minors. That probably spooked him a little, and when he had the chance to lock in millions of guaranteed dollars, he took it.
It’s not a “massive” overpay. That’s about right for a 1 WAR player and its a short duration. Catching is the one position you can’t screw around with or move someone out of position to cover. If you have a functioning MLB catcher you keep them.
It’s hilarious that people put so much stock in an arbitrary stat that can’t be proven.
Braves did not put a gun to Albies head and make him sign that contract. You are an idiot and a cretan.
Just a thought, and I’m not trying to troll, if (God forbid) Freeman signs elsewhere in FA, I could see the Braves trying to stick TDA at 1B…
Glad for TDA. Seems like a good compromise for both sides.
Totally unrelated but involving catchers, Bill Freehan passed away. Young guys that aren’t aware of him, he was the best in the AL in 60s-early 70s. Detroit Tiger All-Time great.
Contreras isn’t going anywhere! The kid can play he just shows his youth and lack of experience. He got thrown in mix after missing a full year of Minor league ball and was expected to produce on a team that expects to win. I’m real high on this kid. Shea gets the attention because of where he was drafted but I see Contreras as a starter in the league. Again, catcher is a premium position and Contreras with some more time under his belt will rake.
I would agree if he learns the art of catching.
Braves fans overrate their players like only metsfan22 can.
Travis is a stud good on the Braves for locking him up.
I love this and it does not block Contreras or Langeliers at all. Certainly the Braves could explore trading one, but I just doubt it happens.
Next year they will likely go with d’Arnaud\Contreras and see how he does. If Contreras fades or d’Arnuad gets hurt, maybe Langeliers will get a chance next year, but chances are he will be at AAA through at least September.
20203 – If the Braves come through spring training in 2023 with all three playing well enough to be at the MLB level then certainly they could move on from one, but I would be willing to bet that if Langeliers still has options they just put him in AAA for another year as depth and roll with it.
2024 – If Langeliers and Contreras are playing well come the end of 2023, the Braves can still exercise the option on d’Arnaud and then trade him for pieces because they will not own the salary. And trust me, if d’Arnaud is playing well enough for them to exercise the option, somebody will want him for that kind of money on a one year deal. It will be easy to move him.
No one is getting blocked by this.
Yeah, every team needs at least 2 capable MLB catchers. If you have 3, then you trade one to one of the 20 teams that doesn’t have 2 capable catchers. The only players that ever get “blocked” are slugging 1B on teams with great incumbents.
The Braves have started 7 men behind the plate this season proving you can never have enough Catching depth. If Contreras or Langeliers prove ready in the next year or two they can always time share with d’Arnaud for a year. They cleared some of the log jam by trading Alex Jackson (who still hasn’t learned to hit in Miami). Solid move for the Braves
Why? He’s made of glass and hasn’t put together a whole healthy season, ever. You guarantee money to a catcher who can go out there and catch 120-130 games a year. D’Arnaud is just not that player.
Being made of glass and being able to withstand the rigors of being a starting MLB C is vastly different. They’ll be paying him to be an outstanding backup, having DH insurance and needs filled to ease a 1st rd pick (Langeliers) into a starting role within the next 1-2 years. If they were paying him $15M per, I’d understand the hesitation, but he gets $16M guaranteed for 2 years going into an offseason with almost no starting options outside of Molina (older & talking extension) & Posey (ditto). They’re NOT paying/asking d’Arnaud to do anything he hasn’t already done before (hit first, catch sometimes).
I’m just happy the only Kevan Smith ATL will be seeing will possibly be on the big screen (CLERKS 3 now filming).
Catchers, pitchers and short stops… you can never have too many and there always seems to be a high bust rate.
Great move.
I think its a good deal. Allows them to deal one of their young catchers if needed.
Catcher is a premium position. Since good ones will always be in demand, stocking up on and developing catching prospects is an excellent strategy.. Look at the Dodgers. They didn’t overspend to re-sign free agent Yasmani Grandal because Smith and Ruiz were on the horizon. Once Smith established himself., Ruiz became expendable because Cartaya is on the horizon. And we know how having Ruiz helped them at the 2021 trade deadline. If I was a Braves fan, I would be pleased with the depth they now have behind the plate.
Also, if I was a Braves fan, I wouldn’t be worried about Freeman’s contract situation even a little. Some fans need to stop inventing ways to be critical of a GM who continues to make the best moves possible to put the team in a position to win. He didn’t sell off after losing Siroka, Acuna and Ozuna. He found ways to make the current team better without hurting the Braves’ organizational depth chart.
I’m certainly not worried about Freeman. I think he’s going to do the same thing Chipper Jones did and take a paycut if he has to. He’s made it clear he wants to stay with the Braves.
I agree. The Braves are in good shape both now and in the future. Regarding now, it’s not a given that the Braves would play Milwaukee if they win the East as the Brewers are in the mix for the best overall record. However, that would be a very winnable series for the Braves. Freddy Peralta’s shoulder inflammation is a concern for the Brewers. As a baseball fan, I would hate to see him down for an extended period. But If he’s not good to go, it subtracts from a major strength for the Brewers. With Toussaint pitching well, Nboa back, and Ian Anderson due to return soon, the Braves suddenly have SP depth behind Fried and Morton, with Smyly probably becoming the sixth guy. Bullpen still has questions, though the rotation depth will make it possible to add two starters to the October pen. Rodriguez looking like an excellent pickup so far.
We’re having a great August but I don’t see us catching the West winner for the best record.
This cements our back-to-back titles against the White Sox and A’s.
When I read about this deal, it made me happy. I’m hoping to read about Swanson and Freeman extensions soon.
Freeman is the one they should extend. They have three SS’s in their top 20 prospects so Swanson may not get the long term deal to stay
Ditto focusing on Freeman. They shouldn’t devote 1 dollar to Swanson in Freeman’s nest egg. Even with Swanson hot right now, he has a 108 OPS+ in 2020 and 106 OPS+ in 2021 (when 100 is the average). While his power has taking a step forward, his strikeouts are at a career-high level, while his OBP is near a career-low. He’s becoming a poor man’s Paul deJong, which isn’t the worst thing in the world, but doesn’t scream SS of the future.
Actually, DeJong would be a poor man’s Swanson. I watch as much baseball as I can and feel, Swanson is perfect for the Braves. He’s a guy you can win championships with. Chris Taylor strikes out a lot, too. Not a huge deal to me. Just live (and win) with all the positives the player brings. Guys like Swanson and Taylor are assets to their teams. At 27, Swanson is entering his prime. He’s an important part of their nucleus. That infield could be intact for a while.
Braves needed to call Yankees for Sanchez. Travis not the answer long term 8 Million a year for his stats. Crazy
d’Arnaud isn’t the long term answer, and they aren’t expecting him to be. He will be the starter in 2022, while Contreras and Langeliers develop. If/when one of them is ready to take over, either in 2022 or 2023, then d’Arnaud can be traded. There are plenty of teams out there for whom he’d be an upgrade. I think you just want to trade Sanchez. BTW, d’Arnaud is cheaper in 2022 than Sanchez will be.
This is a great move by the Braves. What other catcher were we going to sign this winter? We didn’t need to go into next season with 2 rookies.
On another note, Braves need to keep “foot on throttle” this series against the O’s. Look what happened to the Phillies in Arizona. Like NFL could turn into a Trap series.
I would agree if he learns the art of catching.
Paid too much? 1 for 1 with a bomb since the signing. He was a bargain.
I came in from walking the dog and turned on the TV just as d’Arnaud was hitting it out of the park. I’m flipping back-and-forth between this game and Reds-Marlins. I love what the Braves and Reds are doing. Neither team became sellers when many people thought they should.
I hope this is a joke, otherwise it wins for worst post this year.
It is a joke. He’s actually two-for-two with a walk.
I haven’t visited this site often, but from what I’ve read so far, 1984wasntamanual might be the joke.
I wonder what part of ny he’s from. Probably would have liked it better if you talked about how the muts were the best team in mlb and would win WS until all the injuries.
The Mets invest $40 million for four years of James McCann. The Braves re-sign ex-Met Travis d’Arnaud for two years, $16 million.
Yes, but considering he has been hurt most of the year, and the new contract is guaranteed for 2 years, it’s not a bad deal for him.
I’m happy for d’Arnaud. Been following him since Single A Lakewood. Had some injuries, but there are no Cal Ripken’s out there anymore.
An outstanding move. Contreras clearly needs more seasoning and Langliers is looking really good right now. Saw him just this week in a live series and he’s the real-deal. Nothing wrong with paying D’arnaud for 2 years to mentor them, plus with D’arnaud’s injury history, one or both may see an earlier call-up than expected. Do agree though that Freddie needs to be signed.
I think AA knows the importance of keeping Freeman in a Braves jersey. Both sides want each other. May take some time but think they will get it done.