Cautious Cubs sit out as Travis d'Arnaud inks two-year deal with Los Angeles Angels

The Chicago Cubs' offseason appears to be off to a similar start to the one the team had last offseason.

Rather than jump the market in an effort to quickly fill the needs that the Cubs have on their Major League roster, Jed Hoyer and company seem comfortable in letting the market get establish before finding an opportunistic deal.

The latest example of that was veteran catcher Travis d'Arnaud signing with the Los Angeles Angels. After having his club option declined last week by the Atlanta Braves, d'Arnaud appeared to be a clear fit for the Cubs.

Instead, d'Arnaud inked a two-year deal with the Angels on Monday.

The Angels have been aggressive through the early portion of the offseason. Last week, they inked former Chicago Cubs' starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks on a one-year deal.

When it comes to the Angels signing d'Arnaud, there is a tie-in for the Cubs beyond the interest they had in the veteran catcher. d'Arnaud will presumably serve as the backup catcher to ascending catcher Logan O'Hoppe, the Angels' catcher the Cubs tried to acquire at the Trade Deadline last season. The Angels are not expected to be interested in trading O'Hoppe this offseason.

It's early in the offseason so there will inevitably be overreaction when a rumored Cubs' target signs elsewhere. That said, if the Cubs do not make an addition to the Major League roster until the flip of the calendar year, as they did last offseason, the urgency in which Jed Hoyer is operating will need to be questioned. In closing the gap from being an 83-win team that has become comfortable at failing on margins to being a 90-win team that is perennially in the postseason, Hoyer will need to be uncomfortable and make an early deal or two. Otherwise, the comfort that Hoyer currently has will prove to be his undoing as the team's president of baseball operations.