Whether Travis d’Arnaud remains with the Mets is another question, but the catcher has avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year deal with the club for $3.515 million, an industry source confirmed Saturday.
D’Arnaud earned $3.475 million last season, when he appeared in just four games before undergoing Tommy John surgery. The Mets expect he will be ready for spring training, but d’Arnaud could be expendable following the addition of free-agent catcher Wilson Ramos.
An industry source indicated in recent days that the Mets are receiving a significant amount of interest in both d’Arnaud and Kevin Plawecki and might trade one for a backup infielder, outfielder or reliever. If the Mets keep the 29-year-old d’Arnaud, general manager Brodie Van Wagenen has said he could be used in a utility role, backing up at the corner infield positions and potentially left field, in addition to catcher.
Ramos signed a two-year contract worth $19 million and will bring a respectable right-handed bat to the middle of the Mets’ lineup, but his health history suggests the team will need a dependable backup. D’Arnaud has endured his own struggles trying to remain on the field since arriving to the Mets in the December 2012 deal with the Blue Jays that also netted Noah Syndergaard while sending R.A. Dickey to Toronto.
In three of the past four seasons, d’Arnaud has failed to appear in at least 100 games. Even so, the Mets tendered him a contract earlier this month with the idea he could be traded or cut in spring training if necessary. If d’Arnaud is cut early in spring training, the Mets would only be responsible for one-sixth of his 2019 salary.