Former Astros leader’s retirement could lead to most obvious reunion of all time

It is fair to say that Martin Maldonado's tenure with the Houston Astros had its ups and downs. There is no denying that he was once one of baseball's better defensive catchers, and his game-calling and clubhouse leadership were extremely. However, it was also true that he remained an everyday catcher for the Astros longer than Maldonado should have, especially as he aged and his defensive acumen went by the wayside. Somehow, Maldonado managed to prolong his career for two more seasons after leaving Houston before announcing his retirement over the weekend.

It is a retirement well-earned for Maldonado. Yes, the last few years have been tough to watch as his skills faded and his deficiencies became more glaring, but playing for 15 seasons in MLB as a catcher is a rare feat, and Maldonado seems to be beloved everywhere he has played. While it was ultimately for the best when Maldonado left the Astros following the 2023 season, it was genuinely bittersweet, and his retirement announcement had a similar vibe.

However, now that Maldonado has retired as a player, it does open a door to an obvious reunion with the Astros as a coach.

Martin Maldonado's retirement seemingly opens the door to his Astros return as a coach

The Athletic's Chandler Rome noted in his coverage of Maldonado's retirement that he has long been thought to be a future coach or even manager in the big leagues. He commands the respect of players wherever he is, and his knowledge of strategy and game-planning would translate well to being on a coaching staff somewhere.

As it turns out, the Astros now have some coaching vacancies after culling their coaching staff immediately after the season. However, two of the coaches that were let go were hitting coaches and if you watched Maldonado hit at any point in his career, he probably shouldn't be telling anyone how to perform at the plate.

That said, Maldonado does have expertise the Astros could benefit from, and the organization obviously loves him. Now that he is competing for playing time, Maldonado mentoring Yainer Diaz on defense, game-calling, and framing might be extremely helpful after a tough season for Diaz. Maldonado also knows how to manage a pitching staff and might be an ideal candidate to be a bullpen coach to aid manager Joe Espada.

It isn't a guarantee that Maldonado will come back to Houston as a coach, and there has been no chatter about it other than Rome's general speculation. However, it is hard to ignore the potential fit and it could work as long as Maldonado sticks to what he knows.