The Atlanta Braves have made sure the best catching tandem in baseball will be together in 2024. On Tuesday, the Braves signed veteran backstop Travis d'Arnaud to a one-year extension worth $8 million, the team announced. The deal also includes an $8 million club option for 2025.
d'Arnaud, 34, is hitting .265/.338/.478 with eight home runs in 38 games this season, his fourth in Atlanta. He has been excellent with the Braves -- d'Arnaud has hit .266/.326/.465 during his four years with Atlanta -- and these days he serves as All-Star Sean Murphy's overqualified backup. The Braves have enviable depth at the game's most demanding position.
Thanks to d'Arnaud and Murphy, Braves catchers lead baseball with 4.6 WAR this season. Only two other teams, the Milwaukee Brewers (3.6 WAR) and Texas Rangers (3.1 WAR), have received even 3 WAR from their catchers. In addition to ranking among the league leaders in pitch-framing, look where Atlanta's catching duo ranks offensively among the 30 teams:
Batting average: .281 (second to Rangers' .286)On-base percentage: .371 (Brewers are second at .345)Slugging percentage: .559 (Rangers are second at .483)d'Arnaud's $8 million is certainly a hefty sum for a backup catcher -- his $8 million salary this year makes him the seventh highest-paid catcher in baseball -- but when you have your core locked up as affordably as the Braves, you can splurge on a great backup catcher. Smart business all the way around for Atlanta.
The Braves have been a juggernaut this season. They enter Tuesday with baseball's best record at 61-31. They are 10 games up in the NL East and are 28-7 in their last 35 games.
