Martín Maldonado DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

San Diego Padres catcher Martin Maldonado has been told he will make the team's Opening Day roster after signing with the team on a minor-league deal before spring training. The veteran catcher makes his contributions on defense and by working with the pitching staff, but he doesn't bring much offense at all. He earned the respect of the staff and coaches for his work early in spring training, but he went just 2-for-22 with four walks at the plate. Last season, the 38-year-old hit only .119 in 48 games for the White Sox after hitting .191 in 116 games for the Astros in 2023. The Padres are ready to start the year with him as the primary backup for Elias Diaz, but he's far from being fantasy-relevant since he brings so little potential offense.

According to Dennis Lin of The Athletic, the San Diego Padres have signed catcher Martin Maldonado to a minor-league deal that contains an invite to spring training. The 38-year-old opened the 2024 season with the White Sox but held a disappointing .119/.174/.230 line through 48 games before being released. Under the hood, he generated a low .222 xwOBA and .288 xSLG. Across 117 games with the Astros during the 2023 season, the backstop held a .191/.258/.348 with 15 home runs. Fantasy managers should monitor his progress during spring training as he could have an outside chance of making the Opening Day roster as the Padres only have two catchers on their current roster, Luis Campusano and Brett Sullivan. Sullivan posted a poor .188 AVG across a small stint in the majors last season, which could open the door for Maldonado to operate as the No.2 option.

Free-agent veteran catcher Martin Maldonado has made it clear that he wants to play one more year of professional baseball. Maldonado has never been much of an offensive force in his 14-year major-league career, but he's excellent defensively and knows how to get the most out of a team's pitching staff. However, with age, even his defensive skills have cratered in recent seasons. He spent the entire 2024 campaign with the Chicago White Sox and slashed a pathetic .119/.174/.230 with four home runs, 11 RBI and nine runs scored in only 48 games played before being released in July. The 38-year-old Puerto Rican backstop will most likely have to settle for a minor-league deal this offseason if he wants to keep playing in 2025. If Maldonado signs somewhere, he'll merely be competing for a backup role for playing time.