Free Agent Padres Catcher Considered Solid Successor to d'Arnaud for Braves

The Atlanta Braves will need a second catcher next season, and a strong candidate from San Diego is a free agent

San Diego Padres catcher Kyle Higashioka / Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Braves currently have one catcher from their 2024 staff on the roster. With the departure of Travis d’Arnaud, it’s just Sean Murphy available behind the dish. 

They have some options on how to replace d’Arnaud. One option is to go out on the free agent market. When former Braves radio pregame and postgame host Kevin McAlpin joined Foul Territory on Thursday, he saw that as the option that made the most sense. 

He felt it wasn’t worth using Drake Baldwin for a backup role. 

“I don’t think you bring up that young guy not to get playing time,” McAlpin said. “You want him to play every day in Triple-A so when he does come up, to potentially be the everyday guy, he’s gonna get those reps.” 

Chadwick Tromp, who played in 19 games for the Braves last season, didn’t come up once. So, he’s not seen as an in-house option. 

So, as far as McAlpin is concerned, making some kind of move to sign or trade for a catcher would be the move for 2025. 

Erik Kratz asked him about San Diego Padres free agent catcher Kyle Higashioka - who tore up the Braves in the Wild Card series. McAlpin was on board. 

“I do think that would be a great fit, he said. “They do put emphasis on defensive catchers.”

Higashioka played 84 games for the Padres in 2024. He slashed .220/.263/.476 with 17 home runs and 46 RBIs. He’s not the best at getting on base, but he’ll provide some pop. 

He had an off year defensively, committing nine errors. However, he did still have a positive defensive runs save (1). 

In seven plate appearances in the Wild Card series, he had two hits, both were home runs and he had three RBIs and a walk. That about sums up his approach at the plate in general. 

So, Higashioka is a good fit, in theory, but McAlpin did note that the Braves' usual approach to catching could change with the departure of Sal Fasano. 

“I just wonder if that changes their philosophy going forward,” he said. 

The way the Braves go about this situation in the offseason should help paint a decent, immediate idea.