Former Mets catcher Travis d'Arnaud recaptured past glory with the Braves in 2020, raking to the tune of .321/.386/.533 with nine homers in a mere 184 plate appearances in the virus-shortened season.
The 31-year-old veteran was awarded his first career Silver Slugger for his exploits with Atlanta -- capping an apparent mid-career resurgence that seemed to begin with his release by the Mets in 2019.
d'Arnaud, who will be 32 next season, signed a two-year, $16M deal with the Braves last offseason, coming off a 2019 in which he had cups of coffee with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays following his Mets release in early May. He reestablished himself during his time with a Tampa team that saw fit to use him as a leadoff hitter against left-handed starters, even recording a three-homer game against the Yankees in the Bronx.
Acquired from the Blue Jays in 2012 along with Noah Syndergaard in the fateful R.A. Dickey swap, d'Arnaud was a fixture of the Mets' 2015 World Series team and seemed to be their first long-term answer at a position that had seen a lot of turnover since the departure of Mike Piazza.
But the injury bug bit d'Arnaud often, which was a well-documented concern of scouts and prospect hounds dating back to his days a minor leaguer. The Mets' patience seemed to wear thin as his development stalled due to the missed time, even as those who were given the opportunity to replace him never seized the opportunity.
With the arrival of new front office under Brodie Van Wagenen, d'Arnaud apparently had fewer advocates in his corner. The Mets moved on after d'Arnaud had missed most of 2018 and got off to a slow start in limited action in '19.
TdA's Silver Slugger marks a stinging repudiation of the Mets' assessment of their former backstop. He's now strung together two relatively healthy and productive seasons, a summer bout with coronavirus notwithstanding.
In that time he was acquired by three organizations -- all of which reached the postseason in both 2019 and '20. And the Mets gave him away for nothing.
Meanwhile the Amazin's appear to be back in the market for a catcher after they declined team options on Wilson Ramos and Robinson Chirinos at season's end.
The task of finding their replacements will be left up to Van Wagenen and perhaps Sandy Alderson, who will reportedly return to the front office upon the sale of the team. One player who won't be available to them is d'Arnaud, who is under contract with Atlanta for another year before another date with free agency.
The Mets will look to forge something of a new path in 2021, while once again contending against a tough Braves organization that has capitalized on yet another blunder by their division rivals.