Cubs Targeting World Series Winning Catcher in Free Agency

Some unsurprising news was confirmed on Friday as the Chicago Cubs will reportedly not pursue Juan Soto or Corbin Burnes this offseason. Read more about that here. Meanwhile, The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma did reveal that the Cubs are targeting World Series winning catcher Travis d’Arnaud in free agency.

The veteran catcher became a free agent this week after the Atlanta Braves declined his 2025 option that was worth $8 million. d’Arnaud seems like an ideal fit for the Cubs, who would like to pair Miguel Amaya in a time-share behind the plate, while the organization continues to evaluate the defensive progress of catching prospect Moises Ballesteros.

There aren’t many quality options at catcher in this free-agent market, so it’s no surprise that the 2021 World Series champion will be getting a call from the Cubs.

Via The Athletic.

And though the likes of Soto and Burnes are likely out of reach, more modest free-agent options could align with the Cubs. Travis d’Arnaud, the veteran catcher with 14 rounds of playoff experience, is on their radar.

d’Arnaud broke into the majors with the New York Mets in 2013, bounced around with a couple teams in 2019, and then rejuvenated his career in 2020, when he first signed with the Braves. He won a silver slugger award in the shortened 2020 season, was limited to 60 games in 2021, but returned in time to play in all 16 of Atlanta’s playoff games en route to a World Series title.

He was then an All-Star in 2022, and although he’s been a backup for the past two years d’Arnaud has posted a 2.5 fWAR in 2023-24.

Oh by the way, wouldn’t it be nice for the Cubs to sign the guy who has caught more innings from Max Fried than any other catcher? Bleacher Nation had this note on Friday.

No other catcher in baseball has caught Max Fried more than Travis d’Arnaud in his career, and it’s not particularly close.

1. Travis d’Arnaud: 68 games, 409.1 IP
2. Tyler Flowers: 26 games, 111.2 IP
3. Sean Murphy: 20 games, 114.1 IP
4. Brian McCann: 16 games, 75.2 IP
5. Kurt Suzuki: 12 games, 31.2 IP

Here’s a look at Fried’s stats with each of those

1. d’Arnaud: 2.62 ERA (.591 OPS against)
2. Flowers: 4.19 ERA (.783 OPS)
3. Murphy: 3.31 ERA (.653 OPS)
4. McCann: 3.09 ERA (.635 OPS)
5. Suzuki: 3.41 ERA (.783 OPS)

Now that the Cubs aren’t expected to be players for Corbin Burnes and probably out on Blake Snell, Fried becomes their de facto No. 1 pitching target. How about making him more comfortable by adding d’Arnaud, who is still a valuable player at his position in his own right.

(Previous Update)

Although the Cubs made positive strides at the position in the second half of the 2024 season there is no denying that the team must address their catching problem. Unfortunately for the Cubs, there aren’t many quality options available on the market, but new free agent Travis d’Arnaud could be an ideal fit on the 2025 roster.

On Monday, the Atlanta Braves declined d’Arnaud’s $8 million club option for the 2025 season, officially making the 12-year veteran a free agent.

The Atlanta Braves have declined their $8 million club option on catcher Travis d’Arnaud, sources tell ESPN. He is now a free agent.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) November 4, 2024

d’Arnaud, 35, played in 99 games for the Braves in 2024, getting more playing time behind the plate as he filled in for an injured Sean Murphy and he delivered for an injury-riddled Atlanta team. The right-handed hitter turned in a 1.8 fWAR season, slashing .238/.302/.436, which was good for a 103 wRC+. d’Arnaud hit 15 home runs, which ranked just outside of the top-10 among all catchers in 2024, despite only having 341 plate appearances, at least a couple hundred fewer trips to the dish than the leaders.

Looking at his age it could be a scary proposition for the Cubs to bring d’Arnaud onboard, but that could come as an advantage if he has to settle for a one-year deal or another 1+1 type of contract. The last couple free agent catchers the Cubs have tried have been poor at best as Yan Gomes put together a solid 2023 season, but then completely lost it and was DFA’d in 2024. Tucker Barnhart only lasted half a year before he was cut loose and despite Miguel Amaya turning his season around, the catching position is a major need that must be addressed by the Cubs this offseason.

What makes d’Arnaud a perfect fit for this Cubs team is you can sign him to a 1 or 2 year deal and you can count on him to be an effective catcher. Yes, he’ll be 36-years-old by the time the 2025 season is underway, but d’Arnaud’s recent track record is strong. Let’s take a look at d’Arnaud’s last three years.

Travis d’Arnaud stats 2022-24:
2022 – .268/.319/.472, 121 wRC+, 3.9 fWAR, 18 HR, 107 Games
2023 – .225/.288/.397, 84 wRC+, 0.7 fWAR, 11 HR, 74 Games
2024 – .238/.302/.436, 103 wRC+, 1.8 fWAR, 15 HR, 99 Games

Even when d’Arnaud had a subpar year on offense in 2023, he remained a valuable player at the position with solid defense. In 2024, d’Arnaud had above average marks in blocking and controlling the run game.

Plus, back to his profile on offense, d’Arnaud’s batted ball numbers looked good in 2024 as well. He had a 10.4% barrel rate, which finished above his career average, while his hard-hit rate was also in line with his career norm. Sure, an aging player can suddenly decline rapidly, but d’Arnaud doesn’t have many signs of that decline happening as soon as 2025.

The Cubs can bring in d’Arnaud, pair him up with Amaya and if either struggle then you still have the opportunity to ease in catching prospect Moises Ballesteros. We know d’Arnaud isn’t going to be signing a 3+ year contract, so even if he doesn’t work out, it should not hinder the Cubs’ future plans at catcher.

Just seems like a great fit. Veteran presence, who has plenty of playoff experience, (57 postseason games with 4 different teams) good bat for the position and the defense is above average.

Outside of a trade there are simply not enough good free agent catchers the Cubs can sign, especially quality hitting catchers because besides d’Arnaud the only other catcher currently on the market who was an above average hitter in 2024 is Kyle Higashioka, who will be 35-years-old next April.

The pickings are slim, so maybe d’Arnaud’s asking price soars to a range where the Cubs don’t feel comfortable spending, but I hope Jed Hoyer is at the very least exploring the interest level that d’Arnaud may have on signing with the Cubs.