Martin Maldonado Free Agency Update: White Sox sign former Astros catcher on 1-year deal

Late on Tuesday, it was reported that the Chicago White Sox had acquired veteran catcher Martin Maldonado. The two sides agreed on a one-year deal with an option for the 2025 season.

Maldonado is a great addition for the Sox as Yasmani Grandal is a free agent that the team is unlikely to re-sign.

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Maldonado is heading into his 14th year in the big leagues. During that time, he has hit .207/.282/.349 with 111 home runs and 361 RBIs. He had spent the last four-and-a-half seasons with the Houston Astros before reaching free agency this winter.

The writing was on the wall for Martin Maldonado when it came to his time in Houston. The Astros signed Victor Caratini to a two-year deal, causing Maldonado to look for a new place to play for the 2024 season.

Martin Maldonado will see a familiar face after agreeing to a deal with White Sox

Championship Series - Houston Astros v Texas Rangers - Game Five

When Martin Maldonado lands in Chicago and gets acquainted with his new teammates, he will see a familiar face in Korey Lee. Lee made his debut during the 2022 season with the Houston Astros.

However, last season, Lee was traded to the White Sox for reliever Kendall Graveman. The Sox were in the middle of a firesale last year, one of the most disappointing teams during the 2023 season.

With Lee still developing, Maldonado will likely handle most of the catching duties for the 2024 season. However, the staff will want to keep a close eye on Maldonado. He is typically one of the better defensive catchers in the game, but that was not the case last season.

About the author

Jared "Bloomy" Bloom is a journalist covering Major League Baseball at Sportskeeda and a former college baseball pitcher from Illinois, who just graduated with a Master's degree in Sport Psychology.

A writer with over 3 years of experience, Jared is consistently more concerned with quality than quantity, thoroughly checking multiple sources of information, and prides himself in being knowledgeable not just about MLB, but the game of baseball in general. He loves breaking down plays and game-changing moments, as well as looking closer into players' statistics.

Jared is a die-hard Chicago White Sox fan, and one of his earliest memories is seeing his great-grandfather, a huge Sox fan, in his rocking chair watching a game. Jared started playing from the age of 5 with his grandfather coaching him early on.

Jared loved Tim Lincecum for his quirky delivery and looked up to him as a role model when playing. His current favorite is Phillies star Bryce Harper, an exciting player who doesn't let injuries hold him back. Jared's favorite sports moment is Mark Buehrle's opening day between-the-legs glove flip to first base in 2010.

When he is not watching or writing about baseball, Jared can be found racing BMX at his local Rockford BMX track or coaching his local youth travel baseball team.

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Edited by Jared "Bloomy" Bloom