Alex Anthopoulos has been a very busy man this offseason. Outside of the handful of free agent deals, the Braves GM has been a consistent character in the world of trades.
Atlanta shipped Kyle Wright and Michael Soroka off in two separate deals with the latter netting Aaron Bummer. However, the most notable trade came with the Mariners in which the Braves acquired former top prospect Jarred Kelenic.
To do so, Atlanta had to take on loads of money in what was essentially a salary dump for Seattle. Since that deal, Anthopoulos has been working the phones constantly to shed the salary inherited.
It culminated over the weekend when the Braves sent Evan White and Tyler Thomas to the Angels for infielder David Fletcher and catcher Max Stassi, who was moved shortly after to the White Sox. Essentially, the Braves acquired Kelenic and Fletcher for Jackson Kowar and Cole Phillips.
Fletcher is owed $6 million this year and $6.5 million in 2025. He also has two $8 million club option for 2026 and 2027 that come with $1.5 million buyouts. He could be moved, but he could also fill the same role as Nicky Lopez, a utility infielder.
Fletcher’s best season came back in 2019 when he recorded a .290 batting average, 96 wRC+, and 3.1 fWAR. Like many who join the Braves, the Orange County native is excited to have an opportunity to compete for a championship.
“It is what it is. … Not everyone gets to just land on a World Series contender. So that part of it is really exciting for me,” Fletcher said, via The Athletic.
What makes this situation somewhat complicated is Fletcher offers similar defensive versatility as Vaughn Grissom. There’s no need for both to be on the Opening Day roster. Grissom is obviously the more desirable asset, so he could potentially be a centerpiece of a trade for a starting pitcher. Fletcher won’t fetch much of a return, but the Braves also shouldn’t have too much difficulty moving most of his salary if need be.
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