The Braves and Angels have lined up a swap of change-of-scenery candidates. Atlanta announced the acquisition of infielder and catcher for minor league first baseman and reliever . The Braves 40-man roster count is up to 36; the Halos will be at 39 once they finalize one-year free agent deals for and . Its an odd fit for the Braves, who arent in need of catching help. Atlanta has as their starter and re-signed to an $8MM deal to work as the backup. Sta si gives them a third experienced, fairly highly-priced catcher. Since its unlikely theyd want to carry all three none of whom can be sent to the minor leagues Mark Bowman of MLB.com that they plan to flip Sta si elsewhere. Atlanta has already moved a trio of players whom theyd acquired in previous offseason trades. Right-hander , added from the Royals for , went to the Mariners in the deal that brought in . As part of the Kelenic trade, the Braves agreed to take on salary on the underwater contracts for left-hander and White. Gonzales was to the Pirates for a minimal return on Tuesday, while White is now himself shipped away in this swap with the Angels. Now theyll try to move Sta si, who is under contract for $7MM next season. Hes also guaranteed a $500K buyout on a $7.5MM team option for the 2025 campaign. The Halos had signed him to an extension on the heels of a combined .250/.333/.452 showing between 2020-21. That contract didnt work as the organization envisioned. Sta si slumped to a Nils Aman Jersey .180/.267/.303 line over a personal-high 375 plate appearances in 2022. The 32-year-old didnt appear at all in 2023. Sta si began the season on the injured list with a left hip strain. While he recovered from the hip i sue midseason, he remained away from the team to attend to a family i sue. After the season, Sta si and his wife Gabrielle their son had been born three months prematurely in mid-April and had spent the past few months in NICU. In November, Angels GM Perry Minasian told reporters that Sta si was planning to play in 2024 (link ). In the seasons final month, the Angels had placed Sta si on the restricted list. That ensured he wouldnt be paid for the last few weeks as part of the organizations effort to limbo below the luxury tax line. Theres no public indication that affected the franchises relationship with Sta si, but he also seemed an arguably superfluous part of the roster. has emerged as the top option behind the plate with backing him up. Fletcher likewise signed an extension that hasnt panned out. The glove-first infielder inked a $26MM guarantee in April 2021. At the time, the Angels envisioned him as a long-term starter at second base thanks to a strong showing in the shortened 2020 season. That looks like an anomaly, as Fletchers offense has evaporated in the three years since then. Going back to the start of the 21 campaign, hes a .259/.296/.327 hitter. The Angels twice ran Fletcher through waivers this year. He played in only 33 MLB games while getting into 85 contests at Triple-A Salt Lake. Fletcher made a ton of contact with minimal power impact at the top minor league level, hitting .330/.382/.428 with a microscopic 6.3% strikeout rate acro s 380 plate appearances. Fletcher will make $6MM next season, is guaranteed $6.5MM in 2025 and will take home at least a $1.5MM buyout on a 26 club option. Thats well above what hed have received were he a free agent this offseason. Hes a plus defender at each of second base, shortstop and third base. For the Braves, hell serve as utility infield depth behind , and . Its a role that had been played by in the second half of last season, but Atlanta packaged him in the trade with the White Sox. Its strictly a financial move for the Angels, who also clear two spots on their 40-man roster. White had been a highly-regarded prospect during his time with the Mariners. Seattle signed him to an extension before his MLB debut. That didnt work, as the righty-hitting first baseman turned in a .165/.235/.308 line in 84 big league games between 2020-21. White hasnt played in the majors in two years and has barely played in Triple-A because of various injuries, including multiple surgeries on his left hip. Atlanta pa sed White through waivers just yesterday. The Angels will take on the remainder of his contract: $7MM next season, $8MM in 2025 and a $2MM buyout on a 26 club option. Hell likely start next season in Salt Lake. Thomas is a left-handed pitcher who turns 28 in a few weeks. The Braves had just selected him in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft out of the Mets organization. The Fresno State product has appeared in parts of six minor league seasons. He has a 4.30 ERA over 130 2/3 career innings at Double-A with scant experience at the Triple-A level. The Braves agree to take on an extra $6MM next season, while the Halos are a suming an additional $1.5MM between 2025-26. Atlanta is also a suming $6MM in luxury tax obligations for the upcoming season. A traded players luxury tax number is recalculated as the average annual value of what remains on their contract at the time of the trade (including option buyouts). Sta si is guaranteed $7.5MM for one season, while the remaining $14MM over two years on Fletchers deal is a $7MM average value. White is due $17MM over two seasons, an $8.5MM annual hit. Theres a $6MM gap between the $14.5MM which Atlanta is a suming versus the $8.5MM theyre shipping out. first reported the terms of the trade. Images courtesy of USA Today Sports. Trevor Linden Jersey