Not to be outdone by the news of former Los Angeles Angels megastar Shohei Ohtani’s $700 million contract, the Chicago White Sox made news of their own. The White Sox reached a deal with the Atlanta Braves for catcher Max Stassi, whom Atlanta acquired 24 hours prior in a deal with the Angels.
The White Sox sent the Braves cash considerations or a player to be named later to complete the deal.
The Braves acquired the 33-year-old backstop with infielder David Fletcher for minor-league first baseman Evan White and reliever Tyler Thomas. Stassi is owed $7 million in 2024, the bulk of which the Braves will cover. The White Sox have a $7.5 million team option with a $500K buyout for 2025.
Shohei Ohtani’s Former Catcher
Unfortunately, Stassi didn’t appear in a big league game in 2023. He was recovering from a hip issue and remained away from the team due to a family issue, later revealed to be the premature birth of his son. The veteran catcher, no stranger to adversity, lands with his third team in two days following the trade to Chicago.
Stassi makes a lot of sense for the White Sox due to Yasmani Grandal’s departure and Korey Lee’s inexperience. Adding the veteran backstop can aid Lee’s transition to a full-time role and bridge the gap to top-100 prospect Edgar Quero, whom the White Sox acquired from the Angels in a trade for Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez.
The upside to Stassi is a potential return to 2020-2021 production, which would make him a trade asset, or the 2025 team option tenable for the Sox.
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