Travis d’Arnaud hasn’t forgiven the Mets for cutting him.
The Braves catcher revealed during a recent event that the Mets invoke the most anger from him.
“Which teams makes you the most angry whenever you play against them?” a fan asked.
D’Arnaud smiled while looking around the room, thinking of his response, before finally divulging.
“New York Mets,” d’Arnaud said.
It’s not surprising there might be some bad feelings for d’Arnaud considering how his time in Flushing ended.
The Mets tendered d’Arnaud a contract in 2019 while coming off Tommy John surgery, with the expectation it may take him some time to find his groove.
Instead, d’Arnaud received just 10 games and 25 plate appearances before the team pulled the plug with the righty hitting .087 (2-for-23), hardly an adequate amount of time to find his footing.
There were rumblings at the time that the team was not pleased with his defensive work, which was the weaker element of d’Arnaud’s skills, but that’s still a quick hook.
While d’Arnaud produced his best season in 2015 when the Mets reached the World Series, he never lived up to expectations after being acquired in the R.A. Dickey trade.
D’Arnaud struggled to stay healthy during his time with the team, clearing 100 games just twice in seven seasons, and he hit just .242 with a .303 on-base percentage and .704 OPS.
The 34-year-old is now entering his fifth season with the Braves, and is coming off a disappointing season in which he slashed .225/.288/.397/.685.
D’Arnaud has overall hit .263 with a .782 OPS during his time in Atlanta, and projects to share catching duties this season with Sean Murphy.
That anger could explain why d’Arnaud is hitting .326 with a .398 on-base percentage and a .963 OPS spanning 103 plate appearances against his former team.
The Mets and Braves first meet in 2024 on April 8 in Atlanta to start a four-game set.
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