Chicago White Sox acquire veteran Max Stassi to provide catching depth

The Chicago White Sox teamed up with the Atlanta Braves for another trade Saturday, acquiring catcher Max Stassi and cash considerations in exchange for a player to be named later or cash.

Stassi, 32, has been on the move in recent days. He was dealt from the Los Angeles Angels to the Braves with infielder David Fletcher on Friday in exchange for first baseman Evan White and left-handed pitcher Tyler Thomas.

Now he’s in line to provide catching depth for the Sox.

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It’s the second deal involving the Sox and Braves this offseason. The franchises paired up for a six-player deal Nov. 16 when the Sox sent reliever Aaron Bummer to the Braves for right-handed pitcher Michael Soroka, left-hander Jared Shuster, infielders Nicky Lopez and Braden Shewmake and minor-league right-hander Riley Gowens.

Stassi missed all of 2023 because of stints on the injured list with a left hip strain and the restricted list due to a family medical issue.

He has a career .212/.295/.361 slash line with 41 home runs, 128 RBIs and 136 runs in 403 games during 10 major-league seasons with the Houston Astros (2013-19) and Angels (2019-22).

Stassi had career highs in homers (13) and RBIs (35) in 87 games with the Angels in 2021.

Defensively, his 38.1 framing rate from 2018-22 was the second-best by a catcher in the majors, according to Fangraphs, trailing only Austin Hedges’ 43.5. Stassi’s 24 Defensive Runs Saved ranked third, and his 55.4 Defensive Rating ranked fifth.

Stassi joins Korey Lee and Carlos Pérez as catchers on the 40-man roster.