Today is the deadline for player/club option decisions and we’ve already seen the Braves make some very interesting decisions on Pierce Johnson and Tyler Kinley, respectively. There is one choice that seems obvious and that is the decision to decline an $8 million team option for INF/P David Fletcher. Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports (well, mentioned in passing in a tweet thread) that the Braves will not be bringing Fletcher back to the organization via a club option next season.
Again, this was a no-brainer. David Fletcher made just five appearances for the Braves at the Major League level in 2024 and spent the entire 2025 season in Atlanta’s farm system, as he spent the vast majority of his time with the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers while also playing for the Double-A Columbus Clingstones for a while. There was a bit of fascination with Fletcher when the Braves decided to experiment with him as a pitcher, but that experiment didn’t amount to much. He posted a 6.39 ERA and 5.92 FIP over 100 innings pitched in 2024 and followed that with a total of one relief inning for the Stripers in 2025.
No matter where he was or how he was deployed, he didn’t hit much. Fletcher hit .185/.233/.258 with a .229 wOBA, 34 wRC+ and three home runs at the minor league level this season. While he’s known as a good defenseman, those paltry numbers at the plate explain why the Braves opted to keep him in the minors during his time here. Fletcher was paid $6.5 million the last two seasons, which was great for Fletcher. On the other hand, the Braves will certainly be happy that they have so much money available to play with now instead of going to a minor leaguer.
Meanwhile, the Braves also defeated Austin Cox, Joel Payamps, Chuckie Robinson and Carlos D. Rodriguez against Triple-A Gwinnett, so there’s that. A busy day continues.
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