Former division foe, theoretical Phillies fit signs elsewhere

Travis d’Arnaud is heading to the Angels. (Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire)

It was a fun idea, but it will turn out to be nothing more than that: Travis d’Arnaud signed with the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday.

We explored last week why a d’Arnaud reunion might make sense for the Phillies in 2025, with the club looking to ease the workload on J.T. Realmuto in his age-34 season amid declining health and production (as are natural for a catcher his age, even one of Realmuto’s athletic caliber).

By the looks of the Angels deal, it doesn’t seem as though d’Arnaud would’ve necessarily been opposed to the backup-plus type of role that he occupied in Atlanta the past couple seasons. He’s still going to be the backup in Anaheim — behind former Phillie Logan O’Hoppe, whom Philadelphia traded for Brandon Marsh before the 2022 deadline.

But that backup job didn’t preclude d’Arnaud from a handsome payday. He’s about as good as backups come and has largely avoided injury problems even as he climbs into his late 30s, and he got paid like so. The $6 million AAV price tag is an offer the Phillies probably didn’t want to beat, especially on a two-year deal.

d’Arnaud hit .228/.287/.359 against the Phillies in five seasons with the Braves, a slash line that feels low for the number of back-breaking he seemed to muster against them, more than a decade removed from helping them fetch Roy Halladay.

Someone like d’Arnaud could have given the Phillies meaningful production for perhaps 65-plus Realmuto off days. Though it won’t be him, they’ll need to find someone who can fill that role, whether the solution is elsewhere on the free-agent market, a trade acquisition or already in house.

Must-read Phillies content