In the shadow of the Shohei Ohtani news, the White Sox have made a trade with the Atlanta Braves, who now seem to be one of Chris Getz’s favorite trade partners.
In this trade, the White Sox received cash considerations and veteran catcher Max Stassi, in exchange for either cash considerations or a player to be named later.
On the surface, this immediately fills a huge need for the 2024 White Sox, as they desperately needed a veteran presence behind the plate, as they have two inexperienced catchers on the roster.
When you look up Stassi’s stats, you won’t be impressed, as he is a career .212 hitter. But, what Stassi excels in doesn’t show up on a typical stat sheet.
Stassi is one of the best defensive catchers in all of baseball. According to Daryl Van Schouwen, FanGraphs had Stassi’s framing rate from 2018-2022 as the second best in all of baseball. His defensive runs saved ranked him third overall and his overall defensive rating was fifth best in all of baseball. This is a huge addition for the White Sox, as they desperately needed a strong defensive catcher to help out with their young pitching staff. I thought the White Sox would have their eyes on a guy like Austin Hedges, but this is essentially the same move, but for a lot less money.
According to Daryl Van Schouwen, Stassi is owed seven million for the 2024 season, but the Atlanta Braves are expected to be pay for a majority of the salary. This is a great deal for the Sox, as they basically get their much needed catcher for free. Stassi is not going to make the White Sox World Series contenders, but having a strong defensive catcher for the first time in a long time will make a huge difference with the pitching staff, similar to how James McCann made a big difference back in 2019.
In terms of hitting, Stassi is good for about 10 homeruns and 30 RBIs as a backup catcher, which is not horrible. In his last full season, 2022, he only hit .180, but the two years before that, he hit .247 and .278, which would be fantastic. If he can hit anywhere from .230-.250 with 10 homeruns and 30 RBIs as a backup, defense first catcher, that would be a nice development.
Stassi did not play in the 2023 season due to a family issue, according to ESPN, so 2024 will be his first game action in about a year plus. Regardless, this is a low-risk trade that made the White Sox better defensively and should help the pitching staff. Considering what they gave up to get him, it makes the trade even better. He will likely split time with Korey Lee, and hopefully he is a solid mentor for the young catcher.
