Travis d’Arnaud clearly understands exactly what his role is within his new team.

The veteran catcher said he reached out to Angels starting catcher Logan O’Hoppe even before his signing was announced so he could immediately establish their relationship.

“I want him to be the greatest Angels catcher of all time,” d’Arnaud said Wednesday, a day after the Angels announced his two-year, $12 million contract. “I contacted him moments before this was released to the press, because I want him to know that I am here for him. I don’t want anything to be disrupted by outside sources. I made sure to contact him to let him know that I am always here for him and for anything he needs or wants.

“I’m always listening. I will always tell him exactly what I think and I won’t try to say the wrong thing to make him feel good. I want him to learn the right way, grow and become a great player. I am thankful and grateful to be able to work with such a stud.

O’Hoppe, 24, is one of the cornerstones of the Angels’ rebuild. He showed flashes of his potential at the plate and behind the plate. In his two seasons in the major leagues, O’Hoppe was unable to work alongside a catcher with the experience of d’Arnaud.

The Angels signed d’Arnaud because they believe the 35-year-old can still be productive – his .739 OPS last season was above average for a major league catcher – but also because they believe He can have an impact on O’Hoppe and the young pitchers.

As for the latter, d’Arnaud said he was impressed with what he saw from the Angels during an August series with the Braves at Angel Stadium. Although the Angels lost two of three games, they got quality starts in the series from right-handers José Soriano and Jack Kochanowicz.

“Two of their starters were high speed with nasty pellets that none of us could hit,” d’Arnaud said. “And it was a good, good Braves lineup, and they stopped us pretty well.”

D’Arnaud also remembers seeing right-hander Ben Joyce, who closed out the Angels’ only win in the series with a five-out save.

“Any time there’s a lead and you have Joyce in the bullpen ready to come in and throw gas, I know the other team is scared,” d’Arnaud said . “I was part of it.”

Despite all this optimism, d’Arnaud nonetheless joins a team that lost 99 games last season. He had been part of an Atlanta Braves team that made the playoffs in all five of his seasons, winning a World Series in 2021. He also played in the postseason with the New York Mets in 2015 and the Tampa Bay Rays in 2019.