Beloved former Angels catcher hits free agency after declined White Sox option

Max Stassi is officially a free agent after the Chicago White Sox declined his $7.5 million option for 2025. Stassi did not play a game for the White Sox in 2024, as a lingering left hip injury has really set back the catcher's career. The White Sox are actively slashing their payroll amid a potential ownership change, so this move does not come as a surprise.

After spending the first seven years of his big league career with the Astros, Stassi was traded to the Angels in 2019. From 2020-2021, Stassi looked like the Angels catcher of the future. In a limited sample size in 2020, Stassi posted some great rate stats. The next season, he posted the best bWAR of his career by a wide margin.

Stassi was diagnosed with COVID-19 in 2022, and had a serious family emergency in 2023 concerning his newborn son which kept him out the entire season. It just seems like life derailed Stassi's career, between a global pandemic shortening what could have been a career year in 2020, suffering from COVID-19 symptoms in 2022, and then a personal crisis. Stassi had a path to playing in 2024 for the historically bad White Sox, but hip inflammation kept him on the sidelines for the majority of the season. The now 33-year-old seems like the type of guy who will be coveted as a staff member in the not-so-distant future.

Stassi and fellow fan favorite, David Fletcher, were traded to Atlanta (shocker!) in exchange for Evan White before the 2024 season began. The White Sox acquired Stassi, with Atlanta eating most of his salary. Stassi's career does not feel over, but it is on a dangerous precipice. A reunion with the Angels cannot be ruled out, whether as a minor league catcher or in a front office/coaching role. The Angels are no strangers to bringing in former players in advisory roles, and did so with players who meant less to the franchise. Drew Butera was a catcher who played his final season with the Angels, and then was retained as a coach for two seasons. Stassi has history with both Logan O'Hoppe and Matt Thaiss, as well as longstanding relationships with various members of the coaching and support staff.