With the MLB trade deadline already in the rearview mirror, most teams have their rosters set for the playoff push.
The Houston Astros are one of those teams that made a few trades at the deadline to bolster their battered and bruised offense. The Astros hope that the new reinforcements, along with the guys coming off the injured list, will give them a much-needed boost.
At the same time, a few former Astros have not been so lucky post-trade deadline. One of those former Houston players is none other than veteran catcher Martin Maldonado.
The 39-year-old Maldonado has spent the last two seasons with the Chicago White Sox and San Diego Padres after playing the previous six years in Houston. The vet was having one of his better seasons at the plate in San Diego (batting .204 with four home runs and 12 RBIs), but San Diego felt like it was a good time to cut ties with the ex-Astros.
Former World Series Champ Martin Maldonado Gets Sent Packing by Padres
On Wednesday, the Padres officially announced that they released the 39-year-old catcher, who appeared in 64 games this season. It’s not shocking that San Diego moved on from Maldonado, especially after they acquired backup catcher Freddy Fermin from the Kansas City Royals at the trade deadline, who is a much better offensive option.
We have released C Martín Maldonado, and INF/OF Tyler Wade has been outrighted to Triple-A El Paso.
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) August 6, 2025
And the Padres still have Elias Diaz, who can fill in as the backup to Fermin. Diaz has appeared in 88 games this season.
The Padres designated the former World Series champion for assignment last week, but he did not get claimed on waivers. The 39-year-old Maldonado joined the Padres on a one-year minor league pact this offseason after spending the 2024 campaign with the White Sox.
Maldonado was the Padres’ primary starting catcher for most of the 2025 season, but due to his ineffectiveness at the plate, he started to lose playing time to Diaz. He started the season with a .209 batting average and .506 OPS in April/March.
But Diaz’s average went down in May (.138/.469 OPS), went slightly back up in June (.179/.623 OPS), and rebounded in July (.278/.677 OPS). However, after San Diego went out and acquired Fermin, it was only a matter of time before the ex-Astros catcher.
Now, it will be interesting to see if Maldonado lands another opportunity at the major or minor league level. At 39 years old, it’s hard to make a case for him to take a spot on another team’s 26-man roster.
Maldonado does provide defense at the catcher spot, which was evident during Houston’s 2022 World Series run. His lack of offense makes him an automatic out (career .203 hitter). Let’s see if anything changes for the veteran in the coming days and weeks.