Today marked the deadline for decisions on player options, and the Braves made an unexpected call: declining Travis d’Arnaud’s $8 million option for the 2025 season. Alongside this decision, the Braves opted to pick up Marcell Ozuna’s option while also declining Luke Jackson’s.
Travis d’Arnaud has been a fixture in Atlanta since joining the team in 2020, playing a key role in the Braves’ 2021 World Series win and earning his first All-Star nod the following year. Recently, he’s served as the backup to Sean Murphy, but he’s still coming off a solid season, batting .238 with 15 home runs and a .739 OPS across 99 games.
The decision to decline his option comes as a surprise, especially given reports that both d’Arnaud’s and Ozuna’s contract options would be exercised. However, there may be one clear reason behind the Braves’ move—Drake Baldwin.
At just 23 years old, Baldwin has climbed the ranks and is now widely regarded as the Braves’ top prospect. After hitting .298 with an impressive .891 OPS in 72 games with the Stripers, Baldwin continued his surge in the Arizona Fall League, boasting a .377 average and a .942 OPS over 13 games.
There’s still a chance the Braves could negotiate a new deal with Travis d’Arnaud at a lower rate, but at $8 million, he’ll likely attract similar offers from other teams in free agency. This move seems more like a changing of the guard. The Braves appear eager to conserve resources for other needs, possibly signaling that they’re ready to give Baldwin his shot in the majors.
—
Photo: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
You must log in to post a comment.