3 red flags that likely kept the Cubs from giving Travis d'Arnaud a multi-year deal

Cubs fans had their annual start-of-offseason panic this week when veteran backstop Travis d'Arnaud signed a two-year, $12 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels, taking a big name and prospective fit off the free agent board.

d'Arnaud has played an integral role with the Atlanta Braves over the last five years and as the season wound down, it felt like a foregone conclusion they'd pick up his $8 million option for 2025. But as the roster came into focus, the front office felt those dollars would be needed to address other needs - sending the 35-year-old out into the open market.

Given the lack of production the Chicago Cubs got from their catchers in 2024, a proven backstop with a history of a 'plus' hit tool and above-average defensive marks, d'Arnaud made sense as a potential target. But if you dig a little deeper, it's easy to understand why Jed Hoyer may have balked at the idea of a multi-year deal for a player who showed signs of aging this season and turns 36 in February.

Perhaps most importantly, the Cubs just got burned by a similar situation. Hoyer handed a three-year, $18 million contract to a 34-year-old Yan Gomes prior to the 2022 season. That year, he was a solid defender and was elite at limiting the running game, which was enough to help everyone look past his offensive shortcomings. The 2023 campaign was his best in a Cubs uniform. Gomes drove in 63 runs - his most in a single season since 2014 - and it seemed like 2024 would be the unofficial passing of the torch from Gomes to Miguel Amaya.

Instead, Chicago got a horrendous first half from Amaya and a complete bottoming out from Gomes, who turned in an 18 OPS+ in 96 plate appearances to go along with a drop-off defensively. The team dumped him in June and pieced things together down the stretch with pick-ups like Christian Bethancourt and Tomas Nido.

With that memory still fresh, it hardly feels like a stretch that Hoyer would be averse to giving a two-year deal to d'Arnaud, especially when you look at some of his key numbers.

In 2022, d'Arnaud ranked in the 97th percentile in framing - and a 117 OPS+ helped him net the first All-Star selection of his career. But this year, he fell to the 47th percentile - and was also well below average in terms of pop time. That downturn is now a multi-year trend and may very well have raised alarms with interested clubs. Paired with speed and athleticism that has continued to diminish, there's legitimate concern about how he'll age over the next two years.

The Cubs need to make every dollar count. With millions of dead-weight contracts off the books, it would be ill-advised to make a play for a guy who could easily wind up being just that by the end of 2026. There are still options on the board in free agency and Chicago could also look to shore up the position via trade - not over-extending for d'Arnaud is hardly the worst decision Hoyer could have made.