3 Astros players we'll be glad are gone in 2024 and 2 we will wish stayed

Martin Maldonado overstayed his welcome in Houston

One of the more polarizing figures in Astros country at the end of his tenure, Martin Maldonado is another guy who was previously a fantastic player whose time had just come. Maldonado could never really hit, as he has averaged a .631 OPS in his career, but he was extremely highly regarded by the Astros for his strong defense behind the plate and his ability to manage a pitching staff. Given his prowess at catcher, the team could live with him being a well below-average hitter.

The problem in 2023 is that he remained a poor hitter, but his defense fell off a cliff as well, as Father Time caught up with him and his actions behind the plate slowed. The end result was one of the worst qualified players in all of baseball, and with Yainer Diaz just sitting right there, Houston needed to make a decision.

Ultimately, it appears that they made the right one as Maldy hit free agency and landed with the White Sox while Diaz has been declared the Astros primary catcher going forward. We wish Maldonado well, but fans should also be glad that he isn't around anymore to tempt the Astros to play him again.