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As important as Martín Maldonado was to the Houston Astros, it was painfully obvious that he probably should have retired a year or two prior to him leaving the Astros in free agency last offseason. Few can ever match Maldonado's ability to manage a pitching staff, but he was always a very limited offensive player whose defensive acumen left him as he passed his mid-30s.
The amount of playing time that Maldonado was getting over strictly better options last year was the breaking point, and the Houston front office didn't bring him back when the season concluded, instead signing Victor Caratini to pair with Yainer Diaz. If the coaching staff won't make the right call, then take the call out of their hands. That's Dana Brown's way.
It was an unfortunate, but necessary end to Maldonado's tenure with Houston, and one does hope that he eventually comes back as a coach. However, he kept playing this season, and signed with the White Sox for 2024.
Unfortunately, the results in Chicago were even worse and Maldonado was DFA'd on Wednesday.
Astros' decision to move on from Martín Maldonado vindicated by White Sox's roster move
Sadly, this development is hardly a surprise. Maldonado's decline in 2023 was very steep, and at 37 years old, it was always unreasonable to think that that wouldn't continue. After averaging a .603 OPS his last two seasons in Houston, Maldonado slashed just .119/.174/.230 with the White Sox in 48 games this season. As good of a leader and clubhouse presence as Maldonado is, that doesn't offset being such a net negative on the field.
One hopes that Maldonado finally figures out that his big league playing days are close to done. Again, he would be a great coach in the big leagues, as his ability to gameplan with pitchers is top notch. The odds are that he will catch on somewhere this year on a minor-league deal to finish out the season. Hopefully, his next step after that is acknowledging reality and moving on to a perfect role instead of hanging around even longer as a shadow of his former self.