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What looked like the end of the road has suddenly turned into one last shot at glory. Martín Maldonado, who probably should've hung up his cleats a few years back, just signed a minor-league deal with the San Diego Padres.
In early August, the Friars bid farewell to the former Houston Astros backstop. Maldonado was designated for assignment, and because no team was foolish enough to submit a claim for the 39-year-old catcher, San Diego released him into free agency.
For some odd reason, however, the Padres can't seem to move past Maldonado — a problem even the Astros had during his tenure in Houston. Though Maldonado has always been a catcher who's viewed favorably by his teammates, and especially the pitching staff, he couldn't hit a parked car in a demolition derby.
Former Astros World Series catcher Martín Maldonado just got one last shot at redemption
On the season, Maldonado is hitting just .204/.245/.327 and has a 56 OPS+. The veteran has never had a good track record with the stick and owns a career .203/.277/.343 slash line, so it's not as if the Padres should be surprised by his offensive output.
But even Maldonado's defense has fallen flat this season. According to Baseball Savant, he's below average in every meaningful metric. No matter which way you slice it, it's painfully obvious that it's time for Maldonado to face the reality that his next Major League job should be in the dugout (perhaps as a coach), not on the field.
Astros fans have fond memories of Maldonado. His time in Houston was marked by a World Series championship in 2022. Though he was the starting backstop for manager Dusty Baker during the team's run through October, many fans resented the Astros' skipper for clinging to Maldonado the following season when it was obvious that Yainer Diaz deserved a much bigger role with the ball club.
It sounds as if Maldonado will report to the Padres' complex in Arizona and will be on standby in the minor leagues in the event that San Diego needs an extra catcher. Padres fans are surely hoping it doesn't come to that.