Braves acquire INF David Fletcher, C Max Stassi from Angels

Field Level Media|published: Fri 8th December, 20:15 2023

Sep 26, 2023; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels second baseman David Fletcher (22) throws to first for the out against Texas Rangers shortstop Josh Smith (47) during the seventh inning at Angel Stadium. credits: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The Atlanta Braves landed infielder David Fletcher and catcher Max Stassi on Friday in exchange for infielder Evan White and minor league left-handed pitcher Tyler Thomas.

Fletcher, 29, had spent his entire major league career with the Angels since debuting in 2018. Stassi, 32, was with Los Angeles since a trade in 2019 but missed the 2023 season due to an injury and a family member's medical issue.

Fletcher played in a career-low 33 games in 2023, batting .247 with two home runs and 12 RBIs. He is a career .277 hitter and batted .319 in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, when he received American League MVP votes.

He has 98 doubles and 16 homers over his 534 career games.

Stassi suffered a hip strain during spring training in 2023 and eventually landed on the 60-day injured list. In September he announced he would not return this season while attending to a medical issue in his family.

In 403 career games over 10 seasons with the Houston Astros (2013-19) and Angels, Stassi has batted .212 with 41 home runs, 42 doubles and 128 RBIs.

White, 27, played in 84 games at first base for the Seattle Mariners in 2020 and 2021. The Braves picked him up in a trade last week that centered on outfielder Jarred Kelenic going from Seattle to Atlanta.

Thomas, 27, was in the New York Mets' system last season and Atlanta selected him during the Rule 5 Draft on Wednesday. He had a 2.86 ERA with 41 strikeouts across 24 games between Double-A and Triple-A in 2023.

—Field Level Media

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