OC Register: Angels trade David Fletcher, Max Stassi to Braves

[AngelsWin.com]

The Angels sent infielder David Fletcher and catcher Max Stassi to the Atlanta Braves on Friday in exchange for first baseman Evan White and left-handed reliever Tyler Thomas.

White has a career .544 OPS and Thomas is a 27-year-old who was pitching part of last season in an independent league, so it appears the Angels are mostly benefitting by clearing part of the $14 million in salary they were to pay two players who didn’t have starting spots.

The Angels are taking on $7 million in salary owed to White, who has not lived up to expectations after signing a six-year, $24 million deal with the Seattle Mariners in 2019, before he ever played in the majors.

Thomas was just selected by the Braves in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft. He has a 3.66 ERA with 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings in parts of six minor league seasons. He has never pitched in the majors.

Fletcher, 29, has seen his role diminished during an injury-plagued 2022 season and a 2023 season spent mostly in the minors. Stassi, 32, missed all of last season while dealing with a hip injury and attending to the issues of his infant son, who was born three months prematurely in April. Fletcher was set to make $6.5 million in 2024, and another $6.5 million in 2025. Stassi was going to make $7.5 million in 2024, his final year before free agency.

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Fletcher was behind infielders Anthony Rendon, Zach Neto, Brandon Drury and Luis Rengifo on the Angels’ depth chart. The Angels have Logan O’Hoppe in line to be their starting catcher, and Matt Thaiss is out of options.

Fletcher flourished early in his major league career, the Cypress High and Loyola Marymount product becoming a fan favorite along the way. He hit .292 with a .732 OPS from 2018-20, earning a five-year, $26 million deal before the start of the 2021 season. Fletcher started well in 2021, but he finished the season in a slump and has barely played in 2022 and 2023. He had core muscle surgery in 2022 and spent most of 2023 in Triple-A because the Angels preferred Neto, Rengifo and Drury up the middle.

More to come on this story.

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[angelsfan100]

Really liked Fletcher and Stassi. 

[Swordsman78]

I always liked Fletch.  Pesky hitter.  Hope things work out for him and Max in the ATL.

[BTH]

Is Perry gonna have a conference call discussing this trade?

[Chuck]

I added a new reaction just for @jsnpritchett

[Angel Oracle]

I thought White was still owed $15 million through 2025 plus team option years buyouts for 2026-2028?

Meaning no real savings from Fletcher and Stassi being traded, and acquiring a terrible hitting 1B (.544 OPS in 306 PAs)

Edited December 9, 2023 by Angel Oracle

[Jeff Fletcher]

27 minutes ago, Angel Oracle said:

I thought White was still owed $15 million through 2025 plus team option years buyouts for 2026-2028?

Meaning no real savings from Fletcher and Stassi being traded, and acquiring a terrible hitting 1B (.544 OPS in 306 PAs)

The salary figures in the story were all for 2024. white is owed $8m in 25 and then buyouts of his options. 
 

Fletcher 6.5 in 24, 6.5 in 25 and then buyouts. 
Stassi 7.5 in 24

[wopphil]

I have read extensively about this trade and still have no clue how the money shakes out. Is that because I am an idiot (very likely) or because it hasn’t fully been released? How does this trade benefit the Angels. For all their faults, Stassi and Fletcher are at least serviceable depth pieces. 

[Angel Oracle]

1 hour ago, Jeff Fletcher said:

The salary figures in the story were all for 2024. white is owed $8m in 25 and then buyouts of his options. 
 

Fletcher 6.5 in 24, 6.5 in 25 and then buyouts. 
Stassi 7.5 in 24

Sounds like a total savings of $4-5 million then?

[Blarg]

Over 3 years. So it's pretty inconsequential. 

[BTH]

33 minutes ago, wopphil said:

I have read extensively about this trade and still have no clue how the money shakes out. Is that because I am an idiot (very likely) or because it hasn’t fully been released? How does this trade benefit the Angels. For all their faults, Stassi and Fletcher are at least serviceable depth pieces. 

$2.53M in luxury tax savings.

$6M in 2024 payroll savings

$4.5M in total payroll savings (because the Angels take on an additional $1.5M in 2025).

[fan_since79]

I hope Fletcher doesn't figure out how to hit again. Stassi, not worried about. He's hopeless with the bat.

But yeah, two good defensive players for a couple guys I've never heard of. Kinda typical.

[Angelsfan1984]

2 minutes ago, fan_since79 said:

I hope Fletcher doesn't figure out how to hit again. Stassi, not worried about. He's hopeless with the bat.

But yeah, two good defensive players for a couple guys I've never heard of. Kinda typical.

I have no clue why anyone is complaining about this…fletch was DFA last year and couldn’t crack a lineup with an absurd amount of injuries. Thaiss made stassi expendable. They got a reliever and a backup 1b and also saved money. Ultimately, perry just added 3 Bp arms and a backup 1b for zero money added….
 

complaining just to complain at this point. 

[Stradling]

4 minutes ago, fan_since79 said:

I hope Fletcher doesn't figure out how to hit again. Stassi, not worried about. He's hopeless with the bat.

But yeah, two good defensive players for a couple guys I've never heard of. Kinda typical.

It’s hilarious that you think one is helpless with the bat but the other isn’t. 

[Dgar24]

I hope Fletcher doesn't figure out how to hit again. Stassi, not worried about. He's hopeless with the bat.

But yeah, two good defensive players for a couple guys I've never heard of. Kinda typical.

13 minutes ago, Stradling said:

It’s hilarious that you think one is helpless with the bat but the other isn’t. 

That’s the problem, he thinks his hitting is fine. He stated that when the team brought him up during the season.

[DMVol]

I don’t think any of the 4 players will help much anywhere next year but it’s more probable that Stassi or Fletcher might than White or Thomas, particularly Stassi as a back up catcher….But, it’s a money shuffle thing and perhaps means the Angels wanted to clear their back up catching slot for Thaiss, which could be how things got started…

[AngelsLakersFan]

I think it's a clear move to save a little money, but for whatever reason it also would seem that Perry likes the move from a player stand point.

Personally I'm not super happy with the catching situation next year but I can live with it. The key piece here is Stassi, who has starting catcher upside still. I wouldn't bet on it, but at $4.5 million I can understand a team willing to bet on him as depth.