The Angels announced that they have signed a reliever Travis d’Arnaud on a two-year contract. That deal reportedly comes with a $12MM customer guarantee for Wasserman. The right hand Guillo Zuñiga nominated to be given a corresponding motion. The Halos are also tenants Sal Fasanowho was with Atlanta as the catching coach until he was fired last month, as the assistant pitching coach.
d’Arnaud, 36 in February, has been with Atlanta for the past few years. However, that team rejected an $8MM club option to keep him around until 2025, sending him to the open market last week. The veteran player quickly rose to the occasion with a new contract with a slightly lower annual fee but with an additional season guaranteed.
His time with Atlanta included a series of deals, all with an AAV of $8MM. He signed a two-year, $16MM deal through 2020, followed by a two-year, $16MM extension signed in late 2021. In mid-2023, he and the team agreed to a one-year, $8MM extension in 2024. $8MM club option for 2025.
During that time, he has missed some time with injury and his offense has been up and down, but it has generally equated to solid production. He appeared in 384 games over five years with the team, hitting 60 home runs and hitting .251/.312/.443 with a 106 wRC+. His defense was generally well-regarded, allowing him to produce 9.3 wins over a replacement in that span, according to FanGraphs.
Despite his talented performance, Atlanta decided to move on. Perhaps that was due to budget constraints or the emergence of hope Drake Baldwinknocking on the door. Either way, that club’s catching tandem is changing. It was d’Arnaud again Sean Murphy in recent years but Murphy will need a new partner, whether it’s Baldwin or someone else.
The Angels will be hoping that Atlanta’s loss will be their gain. They already have a strong catcher Logan O’Hoppe25 years old until February and not restricted through the 2028 season, but d’Arnaud can play a veteran/backup role.
The only backstop on the list of 40 angels Matt Thaisswho is out of options. General manager Perry Minasian said today that they are still looking into plans with Thaiss, according to Sam Blum of The Athletic on X. Maybe Thaiss will move to another position but the team can either carry three catchers or make Thaiss available in a trade. He is eligible for compensation for the first time this winter as MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects him a $1.3MM salary. The non-tender deadline is November 22nd, so perhaps more clarity on his status will emerge between now and then.
Minasian may have been waiting for his chance to reconnect with d’Arnaud, as he quickly secured a deal after the veteran was found. Minasian served as a scout for the Blue Jays from 2009 to 2017. It was then that d’Arnaud, a prospect, was traded to the Jays as part of the December 2009 trade. Roy Halladay a blockbuster. He would eventually be traded to the Mets as part of the December 2012 deal he brought RA Dickey to Toronto.
Current Atlanta general manager Alex Anthopoulos was the Jays’ GM for both of those jobs and seems to have made it a priority to meet with d’Arnaud over the past few years. The overlapping careers of Minasian and Anthopoulos apparently led to a good relationship that continues to this day, as the two clubs became regular business partners recently. Since Minasian was hired in November 2020, the two clubs have been linked in August 2022. Raisel Iglesias agreement, December 2023 David Fletcher trade, i Jorge Soler work in the last few weeks and other minor changes. Guardian of angels Ron Washington He was with the Atlanta coaches before joining the Halos.
Today’s news is not a trade but adds to the history of club trades, where the Angels acquired both d’Arnaud and Fasano after being released from Atlanta. Fasano began his coaching career in 2009 in the Jays’ minor league program where both Minasian and Anthopoulos were present. In the fall of 2017, around the same time Anthopoulos was hired by Atlanta, Fasano landed a job as the organization’s catching coach. He held that job until he was fired a few weeks ago, though he and d’Arnaud will reunite with Minasian in Anaheim.
The move brings the Angels’ projected payroll to $174MM, per RosterResource. That’s more than the $170MM they were due in 2024, according to Cot’s baseball contracts. Owner Arte Moreno said the salary will increase next year, although it is not clear how much they plan to go up. For the clubs that missed d’Arnaud, the free market is still active 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 posted respectable strikeout numbers but walks were an issue at times. He threw 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.
Now he’s headed for DFA limbo, which could last up to a week, as the Angels figure out whether to trade him or let him go. The stoppage process takes 48 hours, so the trades will have to come together in the next five days. His fastball is averaging 96.9 miles per hour in the big leagues this year and he still has an option for the rest of the season, which could be confusing to other clubs around the league.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan first relayed d’Arnaud’s $12MM guarantee (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).
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