TEMPE, ARIZ. – The Angels today agreed to a three-year, $17.5 million contract with catcher Max Stassi ($3 million in 2022, $7 million in 2023 and $7 million in 2024). The contract also includes a Club option for the 2025 season ($7.5 million or a $500,000 buyout).

Stassi, 31, led Major League catchers in 2021 with a 12.0 Framing Rate, which was 2.3 better than any other player, according to Fangraphs (min. 500 innings). His 10 defensive runs saved (DRS) ranked second on the Angels trailing only David Fletcher (13 DRS) and were tied for fourth in the Majors among catchers. Additionally, his 17.1 defensive rating was tops on the team and second among Major League catchers.

He also established new career highs in 2021 in hits (68), home runs (13), triples (1), RBI (35), runs scored (45) and walks (28) across his 87 games for the Angels. Stassi’s 13 home runs were the most by an Angels catcher since Martin Maldonado’s 14 in 2017 and he became the first Angels catcher to log 13+ HR and 25+ walks in a season since Mike Napoli in 2009.

Originally selected by Oakland in the fourth round of the 2009 First-Year Player Draft out of Yuba City HS (Yuba City, CA), Stassi made his Major League debut with Houston in 2013. He appeared in parts of seven big league seasons with the Astros (2013-19) before being traded to the Angels on July 31, 2019 for minor league outfielders Raider Uceta and Rainier Rivas.