Houston Astros: The Trade Deadline 2018 Report Card
Martin Maldonado: B-
The Houston Astros got this Gold Glove catcher back well before the Trade Deadline. Since coming over from the Angels, Maldonado has struggled to get going with the bat. Although, he did hit a sac fly RBI in his debut plate appearance as a late inning replacement on Friday.
Maldonado does have one catching assist so far in the 19 innings that he has caught. Should he get one of those each time he starts from here on out, that will prove incredibly beneficial for the Astros down the stretch.
Honestly, he was brought in as a defensive backup to Max Stassi. Brian McCann is expected to be out until September, and Tim Federowicz was DFA’d to make room on the roster. This also solidifies that Evan Gattis will likely not get back behind the plate anymore this season, barring anything catastrophic.
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It will be interesting to see if all three make the playoff roster and if not, which two will make the roster. The Houston Astros will likely use the month of September to rotate through all three and the two hottest players will probably make it.
I’m confident that Maldonado can figure out and get the bat going. The potential is there. He just needs the opportunity to tap into it. His defense alone makes this a pretty great deal though.