Angels GM Reveals Reasoning for Latest All-Star Signing

The Angels made another signing on Tuesday.

Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Angels signed catcher Travis d’Arnaud on Tuesday to a two-year deal worth $12 million. D'Arnaud joins the Angels after spending the last five seasons with the Atlanta Braves, where he became a World Series champion in 2021.

D'Arnaud's championship pedigree is part of what drew Angels general manager Perry Minasian to signing him, especially as the Angels look to contend next season. For a young team that went just 63-99 in 2024, the Angels could use veterans with postseason experience.

“Travis just really stuck out for us as someone that you know can not only play at a high level, but the makeup is off the charts,” Minasian said, via Jeff Fletcher of the OC Register. “He’s a winner. He’s played on a ton 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 the manager. He’s just an awesome guy.”

The Angels do have two catchers they feel good about in Logan O'Hoppe and Matt Thaiss, but Minasian said during the MLB GM Meetings that the team was not ruling out adding to the position.

“We're gonna look at every area, but that’s something that we've talked about,” Minasian said last week, via Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. “We do like Matt Thaiss. I think he's improved after transitioning from catching out of the Draft to changing positions and playing first and playing third and even playing some second before going back to catching. I think he's made positive strides there. But with that being said, we're going to look at everywhere.”

In his first full season in the majors, O'Hoppe hit .244 with 20 home runs and 56 RBIs across 136 games. Minasian believes d'Arnaud will help O'Hoppe become an even better catcher and provide a strong backup presence.

“You’re trusting (a catcher) to put down the right fingers anywhere from 150 to 200 times a game,” Minasian said. “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 them, I think will be a huge benefit.”

Over 12 MLB seasons, d'Arnaud has hit .248 with 123 home runs and 438 RBIs. During the 2024 season, he recorded 15 home runs and 48 RBIs over 99 games.