LA Angels reunite Ron Washington with former catcher in latest signing

Both the Angels' manager and general manager have long-standing connections with catcher Travis d'Arnaud, which clearly paid dividends this offseason. After spending the past five seasons with the Atlanta Braves, d'Arnaud is now officially a member of the Los Angeles Angels. He will be reunited with Ron Washington and Perry Minasian once more on a two-year, $12 million deal. This will be d'Arnaud's fifth big league team after spending time with the New York Mets, Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Braves during his 12-year big league career.

Ron Washington is a great leader of men, but he was brought to the Angels to win games. While he can coach up young players and show them what it means to be a professional, he clearly coveted "real baseball players" who can hold their own without having their hands held. d'Arnaud is exactly what he was looking for, an on and off-field leader who can help usher along the development of his young players -- especially Logan O'Hoppe. Washington coached with the Braves from 2017-2023, overlapping with d'Arnaud for four seasons. They, along with Jorge Soler, won a World Series together in 2021.

Two qualities that were at the top of Perry Minasian's fix list: veteran experience and power. d'Arnaud has both of those traits in droves, as well as Soler. Like Kyle Hendricks, d'Arnaud is here mainly to contribute to winning on the field (they are also both SoCal natives). However, the fact that the veterans can help optimize the Angels' best practices will earn them their money and then some. Minasian is clearly seeking veteran experience for a reason, they need guys who can manage the clubhouse and lead by example. Minasian also has ties to d'Arnaud from their time together with the Blue Jays and Braves.

Logan O'Hoppe's 125 games caught last season was the third highest mark in the league, trailing only Cal Raleigh and Shea Langeliers. That number should, at least, remain right around 125 next season as the Angels have a lot of stock in their blossoming, young catcher. d'Arnaud will be 36-years-old by Opening Day, and has not been one to play that much the past few years with Atlanta. He has been more quality than quantity. Soler led the Braves in isolated power last season, and d'Arnaud ranked sixth. Defensively, d'Arnaud was above average in terms of blocking balls in the dirt and catching runners stealing last season (despite a below average pop time).

Guillo Zuñiga was designated for assignment as a corresponding move.

More LA Angels News from Halo Hangout