When Alex Anthopoulos declined Travis d’Arnaud’s option, it sent shockwaves through Braves Country.
It was a very palatable $8 million option for a starting-caliber catcher that has been an instrumental piece of leadership in Atlanta’s recent success, including their World Series run.
In a depleted free agent market, it’s no surprise that he’s already signed a new deal. It was announced just a few days after the option was declined that d’Arnaud would be joining old friend Ron Washington in Los Angeles on a two-year, $12 million contract.
The question is, why? Why would Anthopoulos decline the option after initial reports suggested it was a foregone conclusion that it would be exercised? Well, we have an answer, and it has nothing to do with Travis d’Arnaud.
“From when the offseason ended to when we needed to make the decision, things had changed for us,” Anthopoulos said in an interview on 680 The Fan. “We got a little more clarity on Acuna and when he would be back and we were able to rule out Opening Day. Strider the same way. We were able to rule out Opening Day. Joe Jimenez obviously had surgery, out until at least the All-Star break, could be the season.”
It’s quite obvious when you think about it.
At first, the Braves were expected to exercise the option. Then, news broke of Joe Jimenez’s surgery and that the Braves would be missing Ronald Acuna Jr. and Spencer Strider for at least a bit of the 2025 campaign. That’s a dramatic shift in the team’s composition. Funds must be reallocated to the relief core, rotation, and outfield that could’ve been used on d’Arnaud.
“So, now you go into the winter with three areas that you didn’t necessarily know that you would need to address,” Anthopoulos added.
The Braves will miss Travis d’Arnaud, but Sean Murphy is plenty capable of manning the position for 70% of the starts. Even before the developments of Jimenez, Strider, and Acuna, I could argue that putting that $8 million towards another facet of the roster would’ve been wiser.
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Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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