3 more Atlanta Braves extension candidates after Travis d’Arnaud contract
By Mark Powell
The Atlanta Braves signed Travis d’Arnaud to a contract extension on Tuesday, making the catcher the latest Alex Anthopoulos signee. Who has next?
Atlanta catcher Travis d’Arnaud’s name surfaced in some early-season trade conversation. It’s only natural, considering d’Arnaud plays for a contending team and is one of the better catchers in the national league. Add in that he had his starting spot stolen by Sean Murphy, and it’s easy to see why some pundits might assume the Braves would deal him for pitching help.
But that never occurred. Brian Snitker values d’Arnaud, and still has him catch every now and then. d’Arnaud can also play the DH spot, where his potent bat is valued. Signing d’Arnaud to an extension makes a lot of sense, even if it be for his eventual trade value. The contract has a team option beyond next season, so d’Arnaud could stay in Atlanta (or another destination) through 2025.
“He’s really the glue for us, in my mind,” Anthopoulos said. “He’s just so key. Obviously on the field, he’s fantastic. What he does behind the plate is fantastic. But it’s everything he brings. I just can’t say enough about him as a person. It was a no-brainer to keep him here.”
d’Arnaud also expressed his excitement to stay in the ATL, saying “I definitely didn’t want to leave. This is something I’ve been thinking about all year. I’m just thankful they were thinking the same about me and wanted me to stay.”
What was once an uncertain future after the acquisition of Murphy is now one of the best catcher pairings in all of baseball, and it’s here to stay. With d’Arnaud’s extension done, the majority of the Braves roster won’t reach free agency for quite some time. However, Anthopoulos’ job isn’t done just yet.
Braves should extend Charlie Morton next
Charlie Morton has a club option for next season, which Atlanta could very well activate in hopes of keeping the veteran hurler around for another season. Instead, though, Anthopoulos could try to extend Morton on a cheaper price tag for 2024.
This depends on a couple of factors. First, just how long does Morton intend to play? He’s 39 years old as of this writing, but we’ve seen pitchers like Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer compete into their 40’s. Morton could be next. Second, if Morton plans on testing the market again after 2024, then he’s unlikely to sign a team-friendly extension.
The smart money is on Morton being willing to sign a two-year guaranteed deal and spreading that $20 million (plus a little extra) over the span of 2024 and 2025. This would give Atlanta some salary relief to add talent elsewhere on the roster.