Braves land Fletcher, Stassi in trade with Angels
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ATLANTA -- Five days later, the Braves’ acquisition of Jarred Kelenic looks even better. Both of the contracts the Braves took on to get the outfielder have now been shipped to other teams.
The Braves completed their latest flip on Friday night, when they sent first baseman Evan White and left-handed pitcher Tyler Thomas to the Angels in exchange for infielder David Fletcher and catcher Max Stassi.
TRADE DETAILS
Braves receive: INF David Fletcher, C Max Stassi
Angels receive: 1B Evan White, LHP Tyler Thomas
Fletcher will fill the utility infield role at a cost cheaper than what the Braves were going to pay White, whose future is in doubt as he has missed the past two seasons recovering from hip surgeries. Stassi likely will be traded, much like Marco Gonzales, who was flipped to the Pirates two days after he and White were acquired from the Mariners in exchange for Kelenic.
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To get Kelenic, the Braves had to take on the contracts possessed by White, who is owed $17 million over the next two years, and Gonzales, who is owed $12.5 million in the final year of his contract. The Pirates assumed an unspecified portion of Gonzales’ cost. All of White’s cost will be assumed by the Angels.
And the Braves, it appears, will eventually part ways with at least a portion of the $7 million owed to Stassi, who missed this past season with a hip injury.
As a result, the Braves will end up with a high-upside left fielder and a defensively sound utility infielder for less than $7 million next year. Fletcher will make $6 million, and Kelenic will make approximately $800,000 during his final season before he’s eligible for salary arbitration.
The actual cost for Fletcher and Kelenic will be known once Stassi is traded and it is revealed how much money the Braves saved in both that expected deal and the one that sent Gonzales to Pittsburgh.
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The Braves will be getting some value out of the $17 million that had been earmarked for White. What looked like a sunk cost will now be used to pay Fletcher, who is guaranteed $14 million (club option for 2026) over the next two years.
Fletcher posted a .623 OPS while totaling just 325 plate appearances for the Angels over the past two years. He gives the Braves the defensive comfort they wouldn’t have had with Vaughn Grissom as their utility infielder.
Even with the significant price paid for Kelenic, the Braves have said Grissom could see some time in left field.
The Braves selected Thomas away from the Mets in the Minor League portion of the Rule 5 Draft on Wednesday.