According to a report from Jon Heyman of MLB Network, the Los Angeles Dodgers have signed former Mets catcher Travis d’Arnaud. Jorge Castillo of the LA Times was the first to report that d’Arnaud was in the Dodgers clubhouse.
In an up-and-down Mets career, d’Arnaud hit .242/.303/.401 in parts of seven season with the club. While his tenure with the organization didn’t end well, as he was just 5-for-38 in his final two seasons while missing lengthy periods of time due to injury, he will be best known for his contributions during the Met’s 2015 World Series run.
That year d’Arnaud posted an .825 OPS in 67 regular season games, and a .979 OPS with two homers during the playoffs. Always an underappreciated defensive asset, d’Arnaud had some good times in New York as well as some bad times.
Notes Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Dodgers had talked to the Mets in the offseason about possibly trading for d’Arnaud, before the team settled on signing Russell Martin to form a catching duo with Austin Barnes. It’s unclear where exactly d’Arnaud will fit into the Dodgers’ plans, with Barnes and Martin both being better options and well-regarded catching prospect Will Smith starting for the Dodgers’ Triple-A team.
In a corresponding move, the Dodgers sent recently recalled Matt Beaty to Triple-A Oklahoma City. So for now, the team will carry three catchers, and may plan on moving d’Arnaud around the diamond according to Alanna Rizzo of SportsNet LA.
Barnes and Martin can also play some infield as well, so the Dodgers are definitely going to be creative as they always are in finding playing time for everyone.
While the Dodgers weren’t the most obvious fit, this will be a good opportunity for d’Arnaud to prove himself as a Major League player again.
It’s a low-risk move for the Dodgers, who have a plethora of catching depth in their system and will only have to pay d’Arnaud league minimum for his services. If he doesn’t perform, they could very easily cut ties with him. The Mets are on the hook for about $2.95 million of the $3.52 million contract, Sherman also noted last Sunday.
