Travis d’Arnaud doesn’t forgive the Mets for cutting him.
The Braves catcher revealed at a recent event that the Mets cause him the most anger.
“Which team makes you the most angry every time you play against them?” a fan asked.
d’Arnaud looked around the room, smiled as he considered his reaction, and finally revealed.
“The New York Mets,” d’Arnaud said.
Considering how his time in Flushing ended, it wouldn’t be surprising if there was some bad feeling towards d’Arnaud.
The Mets offered d’Arnaud a contract in 2019 after he returned from Tommy John surgery with the expectation that he might take time to find his form.
Instead, d’Arnaud barely had enough time to find his footing, lasting just 10 games and 25 at-bats before the team retired the right-hander with a batting average of .087 (2 hits for 23 at bats).
There were rumors at the time that the team wasn’t happy with his defensive work, which was the weaker element in d’Arnaud’s skills, but it was still a snap.
d’Arnaud had his best season in 2015, when the Mets reached the World Series, but failed to live up to expectations after being acquired in a trade for RA Dickey.
d’Arnaud struggled to stay healthy during his time with the team, hitting 100 games only twice in seven seasons and hitting just .242 with a .303 on-base percentage and a .704 OPS.
The 34-year-old is currently in his fifth season with the Braves, coming off a disappointing season in which he hit .225/.288/.397/.685.
d’Arnaud has a career batting average of .263 and an OPS of .782 during his time in Atlanta, and will share catcher duties with Sean Murphy this season.
That anger may explain why d’Arnaud is hitting .326 with a .398 on-base percentage and a .963 OPS in 103 at-bats against his former team.
The Mets and Braves will meet for the first time in 2024 on April 8 in Atlanta to begin a four-game set.
