*Photo from the Houston Chronicle*
Here comes another catcher to the South Side. The Chicago White Sox and catcher Martin Maldonado have agreed to a one year, $4 million contract, according to FanSided's Robert Murray. The move has been confirmed.
The contract also includes a $4 million vesting option for the 2025 season. While not an impactful hitter, Maldonado has made his mark as one of the game's best defensive catchers and game callers, with the veteran leadership necessary to lead a young and inconsistent White Sox pitching staff as the team goes through a rebuild.
Maldonado spent the last 4 seasons with the Astros and parts of both 2018 and 2019. Due to his defensive skills and game calling abilities, Maldonado spent his time with the Astros as the team's primary catcher, but was bumped out by Yainer Diaz near the end of the season.
Last season marked Maldonado's 4th full season and 6th in total with the Astros. He ended the regular season with a .191/.258/.348 slash line with a paltry 66 OPS+, hitting 12 doubles and 15 home runs with 36 RBI's in 116 games. He had 4 hits in 34 plate appearances over 11 playoff games.
Maldonado has played for the Astros, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, Milwaukee Brewers, and Chicago Cubs in 13 seasons. He has a .207/.282/.349 slash line with a 72 OPS+, hitting 111 home runs with 361 RBI's in 1,118 games. He also has a .169/.253/.249 slash line with 3 home runs, 5 doubles, and 13 RBI's in 65 playoff games.
White Sox catcher Korey Lee, when asked about Maldonado back in September, said "I got to be around Martín Maldonado, I got to learn from him. I got to see how he managed a pitching staff at that end. Learned how he communicated with pitchers and it taught me a lot. I’m going to carry that further into my career and make it my way, but he taught me how to be a professional catcher over there in Houston. They knew how to win and I want to bring that over to the White Sox."
Lee, currently on the 40 man roster, is one of a few catchers Maldonado will contend for playing time with in Chicago. Max Stassi and Carlos Perez are also on the White Sox 40 man roster, with Stassi being acquired in a trade from the Atlanta Braves.
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