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The Braves announced Wednesday that infielder , who they acquired from the Angels last week, has cleared waivers and been a signed outright to Triple-A Gwinnett. The move amounts to a formality, as Atlanta was surely aware that another team wouldnt claim Fletcher and the $14MM still guaranteed to him on his current contract. The Angels outrighted Fletcher twice during the 2023 season. At 4.168 years of MLB service time, hes four days shy of being able to reject an outright a signment while still remaining the entirety of that sum. David OBrien of The Athletic that Braves bra s still fully expects Fletcher to be their primary utility infielder next season. For the time being, however, pa sing him through waivers creates some extra flexibility by opening a spot on the 40-man roster. The Braves can always select Fletcher back to the 40-man roster prior to Opening Day. Once hes accrued even four more days of service time, theyll lose the ability Landry Shamet Jersey to shuffle him around in this nature, as Fletcher could elect free agency and retain his salary, leaving Atlanta on the hook for that money. Its still a modest surprise to see Fletcher outrighted at the moment, given that the Braves already had five open spots on the 40-man roster. Timing aside, the outcome was always going to be the same when he was placed on waivers though, so making the move now versus making the move in February changes nothing. It sounds quite likely that Fletcher will be added back to the 40-man before long if not prior to Opening Day then early in the 2024 campaign. Fletcher, 29, came to the Braves as part of a convoluted series of trades that have added a considerable amount of money to Atlantas luxury tax ledger but havent left the roster with much in the way of clear upgrades. The Braves acquired , and for , prospect Cole Phillips and cash then immediately flipped Gonzales and cash to the Pirates for a player to be named later. White was traded to the Angels alongside minor league reliever to acquire catcher and Fletcher. Atlanta quickly sent Sta si and cash to the White Sox for another PTBNL. Ultimately, they were left on the hook for the remaining $14MM on Fletchers deal, nearly three quarters of Gonzales $12.25MM salary, and the a sociated luxury taxes theyll pay on each player. Its a steep price to pay to effectively buy low on Kelenic and install Fletcher as a utility infielder particularly when the Braves already had a very similar utility option in , who was traded to the ChiSox as part of the trade. Perhaps the PTBNLs acquired for Gonzales and Sta si will be of some significance, but its hard to imagine a team in the Pirates or White Sox positions giving up substantial prospect talent for short-term stopgaps even at positions of need and with paid-down salaries. Fletcher signed a five-year, $26MM extension with the Angels on the heels of a .298/.356/.395 showing from 2019-20 a productive stretch at the plate during which he fanned at a tiny 10.1% clip and played superb defense between three infield spots (second base, third base, shortstop). Hes since floundered at the dish, however, batting just .259/.296/.327 in 990 plate appearances. Fletchers bat-to-ball skills have actually improved (8.6% strikeout rate), but his quality of contact has plummeted and rendered him an unimpactful player in the batters box. Hes still a versatile and talented defender, and the Braves will likely lean on him as a glove-first utility option this coming season. Ivica Zubac Jersey