The New York Mets have avoided arbitration with catcher Travis d’Arnaud on a one-year deal worth $1.875 million according to Jon Heyman of Fan Rag Sports. He was projected to make $1.9 million by Pace Law School.
D’Arnaud, 28, is coming off his worst season as a pro, posting a .629 OPS and 69 OPS+ in 276 plate appearances with just four home runs and 15 RBI.
Defensively, his caught stealing percentage took another hit as 61 baserunners were successful against him and only 17 were caught stealing. And he hardly ever had to catch Noah Syndergaard. He lost that privilege as soon as Rivera arrived. Travis has been rated as one of the best pitch framers in baseball the past few seasons.
Time is running out for the one time top catching prospect as he now enters his prime years having failed to establish himself as an everyday catcher. Even after returning from the disabled list last season, he saw himself losing more and more time to backup catcher Rene Rivera.
