More often than not, you may depend on early November to take a break from following baseball information. The World Collection has simply ended, however free company hasn’t began in earnest. Worldwide free brokers typically get posted nearer to the mid-December deadline. Large trades are extra of a December/January factor. However the Angels don’t function that method. First they traded for Jorge Soler. Then they signed Kyle Hendricks. Now they’ve signed the primary multi-year free company deal of the offseason, linking up with Travis d’Arnaud on a two-year, $12 million contract.
At first blush, this seems like a lot shuffling of deck chairs. The Angels have lots of wants, to place it bluntly. Catcher was one in every of their finest positions final yr. They want extra starters, extra relievers, extra outfield depth, extra infield depth, and extra top-of-the-order bats. Incumbent Logan O’Hoppe was one in every of solely three hitters on the workforce to eclipse the 2-WAR mark. Why not signal a second baseman, or one other beginning pitcher, or just about anybody else?
I believe there’s extra right here than meets the attention, although. We’re not speaking a couple of blockbuster signing, and fairly frankly, we’re not speaking a couple of playoff workforce. season for the Angels in 2025 would imply flirting with .500 and creating a couple of new on a regular basis gamers. Perhaps Jo Adell will take a step ahead and Mike Trout will play a full season at his regular customary of excellence. Perhaps Zach Neto will proceed on his present trajectory in the direction of borderline All-Star manufacturing (as soon as he’s again from shoulder surgical procedure, after all) and Reid Detmers will rediscover his wipeout slider.
O’Hoppe is one other key participant to the 2025 workforce. After an injury-marred 2023, he performed his first full main league season this yr and confirmed flashes of the offensive potential that made him a Prime 100 prospect. He additionally performed his worst baseball on the finish of the season, with a near-40% strikeout price within the second half resulting in a 64 wRC+. His protection flagged because the yr wore on, and it wasn’t sterling within the first place.
A few of that’s to be anticipated. Catching is hard! A full season of it, for the primary time? That’ll put on on anybody. However the Angels made issues notably onerous for O’Hoppe with their roster building. Their backup catcher, Matt Thaiss, might be higher fitted to first base at this level in his profession. O’Hoppe dealt with a ton of innings because of this, and whereas the Angels have a greater concept of how a lot that affected him than I do, it definitely felt like an pointless burden from my exterior perspective.
Enter d’Arnaud, an ideal resolution for what ailed the Angels final yr. At 35, he’s not an on a regular basis participant, however he’s been among the best part-time backstops within the sport all through his tenure in Atlanta. He’s able to filling in for stretches, and he grabbed partial management of the Braves catching job final yr, however 75-80 video games seems like a practical ceiling for a way a lot he’d ideally play.
That’s an exquisite pairing with O’Hoppe, who actually ought to be the full-time starter. It’s helpful on two axes. First, it’s a significant improve for the Angels at an affordable value. Need to win extra video games? Upgrading your backup catcher from alternative degree to a plus hitter with good defensive chops is a spectacular method to do it. On a pure add-up-the-runs foundation, this signing probably improves the Angels by a number of wins. The worth is correct, too: Backup catchers simply don’t command a lot in the marketplace as of late, which is why d’Arnaud solely received $6 million yearly.
For that sum of money, it’s onerous to think about a greater improve for the Angels. We’re projecting d’Arnaud as a mean hitter and defender. That tracks along with his resume over the previous few years. And whereas it may not sound like a lot, it’s onerous to get both of these qualities on the hardest defensive place on the diamond. The market this yr was Danny Jansen, d’Arnaud, Carson Kelly, and possibly Kyle Higashioka. No contender desires to commerce backup catchers — they want them! If the Angels needed to enhance the place, this was concerning the minimal they may spend whereas ending up with a high quality choice.
Now, as I discussed, these further wins in all probability aren’t going to land this squad within the postseason. However if you wish to make the playoffs in 2026, step one is bettering in 2025. Not solely does d’Arnaud assistance on that entrance, the second yr of his deal gives the Angels with a ton of flexibility. If he performs effectively this yr, spectacular — that’s subsequent yr’s backup catcher spoken for. If age catches as much as him, such is life. The monetary outlay is hardly ruinous, and taking a little bit of the burden off of O’Hoppe is price the price anyway.
Second, I’m by no means certain tips on how to weigh catcher mushy abilities, however having a mentor like d’Arnaud doesn’t seem to be a unhealthy factor for O’Hoppe’s improvement. The one-time Blue Jays and Mets phenom has expertise enjoying with expectations of greatness, and with managing a fantastic number of pitching staffs over time. Good luck placing a precise worth on that talent set, however I’m fairly assured it’s price greater than zero. No place within the majors is extra mentally taxing than catcher, or takes longer to study. Having a smart backup might speed up O’Hoppe’s understanding of the defensive facet of the sport. On the very least, it might probably’t damage.
This being the Angels, the signing is not less than a little bit puzzling. O’Hoppe has proven extra promise offensively than behind the plate to date in his profession, to the purpose the place he might use a while at DH to remain recent whereas preserving his bat within the lineup. Signing a high-caliber backup would usually free the workforce as much as just do that. Only one downside: they went out and traded for a DH two weeks in the past.
May O’Hoppe play first base to get each he and d’Arnaud within the lineup? Perhaps – however the workforce in all probability desires Nolan Schanuel to get on a regular basis reps there. May he DH when Soler rests? Perhaps – however Trout might presumably use a break from the on a regular basis rigors of fielding too, and the workforce will accurately prioritize his well being. May Soler play the sphere? Eh, not likely – the Braves tried it final yr, and he appeared like a DH on the market. The items match collectively awkwardly if the Angels are hoping to provide d’Arnaud the identical workload he shouldered in Atlanta (roughly 80 begins and 350 PA).
That makes me marginally much less excited, however that’s extra about Soler’s match than d’Arnaud’s. I nonetheless suppose this signing was impressed, a good way to enhance the workforce for the close to future with out breaking the financial institution or blocking any promising kids from enjoying. I reserve the correct to revise my opinion if d’Arnaud begins meaningfully reducing into O’Hoppe’s enjoying time, however that appears unlikely. As a substitute, I believe that is only a whole lot for a veteran backup. I think about that a number of groups will finish the winter wishing they’d executed the identical.
