Atlanta Braves Extend Travis d’Arnaud for 2 More Seasons

It’s the extension we all haven’t been waiting for as the Atlanta Braves announced they’re bringing back catcher Travis d’Arnaud. 

While it’s not Freddie Freeman, bringing back Travis d’Arnaud is still a very strong move for the Atlanta Braves going forward.

Who better to help the Braves young catchers in William Contreras and Shea Langeliers transition into the big leagues than TDA?

The deal is for two more seasons at $8 million a year — the exact same deal he originally signed with the Braves.

This deal does come with an $8 million team option in 2024 with no buyout. I don’t know the last time I’ve seen an option year that didn’t include a buyout, but that’s certainly great for the Braves.

If Contreras and/or Langeliers prove they’re ready for the full-time job by then, they can simply cut ties with TDA.

What Travis d’Arnaud has Done for the Braves

I wrote when TDA came back just how huge it was for this team because the catcher position had become such a black hole.

Essentially, without d’Arnaud, the Braves ranked last in baseball in WAR for catchers. I’m sure that would be the case for a lot of teams who lose their starting catcher, but the difference was drastic.

As opposed to 2020 when TDA was one of the best catchers in all of baseball, winning the Silver Slugger award.

In parts of two seasons with the Braves, he’s slashed .284/.345/.470 with an 815 OPS and 12 home runs in 72 games.

His defensive metrics might not be elite, but pitchers seem to like throwing to him and I don’t view his defense as a major weakness.

The only real concern with TDA is his availability.

We wrote about this when he first signed with the Braves, but the most games he’s played in a single season is 112 back in 2017.

He’s probably going to end up playing fewer games in 2021 than he did during the shortened 2020 season.

The 32-year-old has been very injury-prone throughout his career, which is the only real risk of this signing, but it is certainly a real risk.

However, that’s why it’s great they have two young guys who are pushing for playing time.

And the contract isn’t so expensive that if he doesn’t play a lot it would crush the Braves financially.

A lot of teams pay $5-10 million for a solid backup, which is what TDA could end up being in 2023.

For the most part, when he’s been healthy, TDA has been a very productive player. We saw how volatile the catching position can be without him, this gives Atlanta a chance to make sure that doesn’t happen again.