This story was excerpted from Rhett Bollinger's Angels Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ANAHEIM -- On the heels of a 99-loss season, the Angels are all too aware of the importance of overall depth.

So general manager Perry Minasian has made it his mission to be aggressive to address the club’s weaknesses this offseason, and he's already made several moves, with the latest being the addition of veteran catcher Travis d'Arnaud on a two-year deal worth $12 million on Tuesday. It wasn’t exactly a position of great need, as Matt Thaiss was serviceable as a backup last year, but it represents a clear upgrade, as d’Arnaud is renowned for his work with pitchers and still has plenty of pop in his bat.

The 35-year-old was an All-Star in 2022 and hit 15 homers with 48 RBIs in just 99 games last year. He was brought in to be a backup for Logan O’Hoppe and to serve as a leader and mentor to O’Hoppe and the club’s young pitching staff.

“It's going to be great for a guy like Logan, who's coming into his own, to have somebody with him as part of that tandem,” Minasian said. “He’ll really help his career going forward. It’s just really exciting for us.”

But now it brings the question of what to do with Thaiss, who is out of Minor League options and can’t be sent to the Minors without being exposed to waivers. Thaiss, 29, hit .204/.323/.299 with two homers, nine doubles and 16 RBIs in 57 games. Like O’Hoppe, he saw his production drop off in the second half, as it was just his second full year as a backup catcher.

The Angels just wanted more of a veteran presence to join O’Hoppe and could now look to trade Thaiss, who was a first-round Draft pick in 2016. They also could move him to another position or keep him as a versatile defender, as he previously played first base and third base before reconverting to catcher. But the Angels don’t have to be in a hurry to make that decision, as it would make sense to keep him during Spring Training as depth in case of an injury.

“We'll see what happens,” Minasian said. “He’s still on the roster. There's been teams that have carried three [catchers] before, so I wouldn't rule anything out. Does he fit on our bench? Those are things we'll talk about.”

The Angels have now addressed catching depth with the signing of d’Arnaud and also added outfielder/DH Jorge Soler, right-hander Kyle Hendricks and infielders Scott Kingery and Ryan Noda. But Minasian said there are still plenty of areas the Angels are trying to address. They are still likely to add at least one more starting pitcher, another infielder and possibly bullpen or outfield help this offseason. They’ve been one of the most active teams early in the offseason, and Minasian doesn’t see that changing, even with the moves they’ve already made.

“We're not trying to be the first to do anything,” Minasian said. “It's just what makes sense. Whether it's November or February, if something makes sense, we're going to be opportunistic and try and make it happen. But there's still plenty of work to do with this club, plenty of areas to make it better. The rotation, bullpen, lineup, depth, defense.”