Angels Make Room: Matt Thaiss Designated for Assignment

The Angels have designated catcher Matt Thaiss for assignment, per Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times on X. That’s the corresponding move for the club signing infielder Kevin Newman, as was reported earlier.

Thaiss, 30 in May, now seems likely to depart the Angels for the first time in his professional career. He was their first round pick in 2016, getting selected 16th overall. Though he was a catcher in college, the Angels valued him more for his offensive abilities and immediately moved him to a corner infield role upon drafting him. He continued to show good talent with a bat in his hands as he worked his way towards the majors, hitting .279/.363/.445 for a 117 wRC+ across multiple minor league levels from 2016 to 2019.

But that production didn’t translate to the major leagues when he was promoted. He hit .202 /.291/.405 in 2019 and 2020, his first 189 plate appearances in the big leagues. The Halos had a fairly crowded group of guys battling for playing time at the infield corners and designated hitter back then, including Shohei Ohtani, Jared Walsh, Anthony Rendon and Albert Pujols, so they decided in 2021 to move Thaiss back behind the plate.

His major league offense still hasn’t developed as hoped. He’s now up to 771 career plate appearances with a .208/.313/.342 line, 29.3% strikeout rate and 83 wRC+. That’s actually not bad by backup catcher standards. Catchers overall tend to be roughly 10% below average at the plate, including a league-wide 91 wRC+ for backstops in 2024. But his defense hasn’t been especially well regarded, perhaps unsurprising for a guy who was away from the position for a few years.

On top of that lackluster performance, Thaiss has exhausted his option years, meaning he could no longer be easily sent to the minors. The Angels have seen Logan O’Hoppe emerge as their primary catcher and they just brought in Travis d’Arnaud to serve as a veteran complement for the next two years. Given all those factors, Thaiss was squeezed off the roster and perhaps to another club for the first time in his career.

DFA limbo can last up to a week but the waiver process takes 48 hours, meaning the Angels will have five days to see if there’s any trade interest from other teams. His major league track record is obviously not too impressive but it’s possible there will be interest regardless. Catching help is almost always in demand and it’s also possible some team thinks they can help Thaiss unlock something at the plate if they have him give up on the catching thing altogether. His 12.6% walk rate to this point in his career is quite strong, but he has struck out a lot and hasn’t done much damage when he does put the bat on the ball.

Thaiss just crossed three years of service time in 2024, meaning he’s eligible for arbitration for the first time this winter. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects him for a $1.3MM salary next year, not much above the $760K league minimum. If any club acquires him via trade or a waiver claim, he can theoretically be retained through 2027 via arbitration, though that coming to fruition would be contingent on him taking a step forward in terms of his performance.

Teams like the Rays, Blue Jays, Padres, Rockies, Marlins, Cubs, Reds, Braves and others could be on the lookout for catching help this offseason. If any of them view Thaiss as a viable option, they’ll be calling the Angels in the coming days. Or as mentioned, perhaps some club is intrigued enough by the walks or the minor league track record to view Thaiss as a potential late-blooming hitter.