The Atlanta Braves have acquired catcher Max Stassi and infielder David Fletcher in a trade with the Los Angeles Angels, the teams announced Friday evening. Minor-league first baseman Evan White and pitcher Tyler Thomas are headed to Anaheim.
The move will save the Angels about $6 million in payroll for 2024. No cash was exchanged in the deal.
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Stassi, 32, missed all of last season while dealing with the premature birth of his son, Jackson, who had health complications. He still has one year left on the three-year, $17.5 million extension he signed in 2022.
Fletcher is still owed $15.5 million over the next two seasons. He spent much of 2023 in Triple A after struggling offensively the previous two seasons. Fletcher is also just weeks away from hitting five years of service time, which would have limited the team’s ability to demote him to the minors.
Neither White nor Thomas will be added to the Angels’ 40-man roster, a team spokesman said. White signed a six-year, $24 million deal with the Seattle Mariners in 2019. He’s still owed $15 million over the next two years, with club options for three additional seasons.
White hasn’t played in the majors since 2021, and has a career .544 OPS. The 27-year-old has missed time with various health issues the past two seasons in the Mariners system. He was part of the trade that sent Jarred Kelenic to Atlanta earlier this offseason.
The move limits the Angels’ depth and experience at catcher. Earlier this week, Angels GM Perry Minasian said Stassi’s pitch-calling abilities were missed last season amid struggles from the pitching staff. This trade, however, opens up a spot for catcher Matt Thaiss, whom the team did not want to release.
Thomas, 27, was poached from the New York Mets system in the minor-league portion of the Rule 5 Draft on Wednesday.
— The Athletic’s David O’Brien contributed to this report.
(Photo of David Fletcher: Gary A. Vasquez / USA Today)
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