\n\n”,”providerName”:”Twitter”,”providerUrl”:” renowned for his superb defense and ability to handle a staff, Maldonado became the Astros’ top catcher across the last half-decade. Despite a .623 OPS in an Astros uniform — that number dropped to .593 the last three seasons — Maldonado was slotted in as Houston’s primary catcher due to his defense and success working with Astros pitchers. 2023 breakout rookie Yainer Diaz and veteran catcher Victor Caratini — whom the Astros signed to a multi-year contract this offseason — will handle catching duties for Houston in 2024.\n\nMaldonado also worked with manager Pedro Grifol in Kansas City during the 2019 campaign, when Grifol was part of the Royals’ coaching staff. He played with Korey Lee in Houston, with Lee being acquired at the ’23 Trade Deadline in exchange for reliever Kendall Graveman as one of the team’s potential catchers of the future.\n\n“I got to be around Martín Maldonado, I got to learn from him,” Lee said this past September. “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.\n\n“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.””,”type”:”text”},{“__typename”:”Video”,”contentDate”:”2023-09-19T02:59:16.613Z”,”preferredPlaybackScenarioURL({\”preferredPlaybacks\”:\”mp4AvcPlayback\”})”:” Maldonado crushes a solo home run to left-center field in the bottom of the 8th inning”,”displayAsVideoGif”:false,”duration”:”00:00:29″,”slug”:”mike-baumann-in-play-run-s-to-martin-maldonado”,”tags”:[{“__typename”:”InternalTag”,”slug”:”season-2023″,”title”:”Season 2023″,”type”:”season”},{“__typename”:”GameTag”},{“__typename”:”PersonTag”,”slug”:”playerid-455117″,”title”:”Martin Maldonado”,”person”:{“__ref”:”Person:455117″},”type”:”player”},{“__typename”:”TeamTag”,”slug”:”teamid-117″,”title”:”Houston Astros”,”team”:{“__ref”:”Team:117″},”type”:”team”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”hitting”,”title”:”hitting”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”highlight”,”title”:”highlight”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”in-game-highlight”,”title”:”in-game highlight”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”game-action-tracking”,”title”:”game action tracking”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”home-run”,”title”:”home run”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”top-play”,”title”:”top play”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”fan-duel”,”title”:”Fan Duel”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”eclat-feed”,”title”:”Eclat feed”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”international-feed”,”title”:”International Partner feed”,”type”:”taxonomy”}],”thumbnail”:{“__typename”:”Thumbnail”,”templateUrl”:” solo homer (14)”,”relativeSiteUrl”:”/video/mike-baumann-in-play-run-s-to-martin-maldonado”},{“__typename”:”Markdown”,”content”:”This signing is sensible for the White Sox with a young pitching staff that now has another backstop to pair with Max Stassi, whom the team acquired from the Braves earlier this month, and Lee. With potential turnover coming for a White Sox team headed by new general manager Chris Getz — who might be tasked with moving frontline starter Dylan Cease — there’s value in signing a veteran catcher who’s been a part of many winning Astros teams.\n\nLee, 25, impressed the White Sox with his September work behind the plate, but for his young big league career, Lee is hitting .100 at the plate. Edgar Quero, the team’s 20-year-old switch-hitting catcher ranked No. 81 overall by MLB Pipeline, will benefit from working with Maldonado.\n\nThe White Sox had strong interest in Maldonado prior to acquiring Stassi, but that interest clearly continued for a catcher with 202 plate appearances and 65 games worth of playoff experience. Maldonado (8,663 2/3 innings) joins Salvador Perez (10,063 2/3), J.T. Realmuto (8,923 1/3), Yasmani Grandal (8,404 2/3) and Yan Gomes (8,242 2/3) as the only active backstops with more than 8,000 innings caught.”,”type”:”text”}],”relativeSiteUrl”:”/news/martin-maldonado-signs-with-white-sox”,”contentType”:”news”,”subHeadline”:null,”summary”:”CHICAGO — Martín Maldonado and the White Sox have agreed on a one-year deal plus an option, a Major League source confirmed to MLB.com Tuesday. The club has not confirmed the move.”,”tagline({\”formatString\”:\”none\”})”:null,”tags”:[{“__typename”:”InternalTag”,”slug”:”storytype-article”,”title”:”Article”,”type”:”article”},{“__typename”:”PersonTag”,”slug”:”playerid-455117″,”title”:”Martin Maldonado”,”person”:{“__ref”:”Person:455117″},”type”:”player”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”apple-news”,”title”:”Apple News”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TeamTag”,”slug”:”teamid-145″,”title”:”Chicago White Sox”,”team”:{“__ref”:”Team:145″},”type”:”team”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”transactions”,”title”:”transactions”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”ContributorTag”,”slug”:”scott-merkin”,”title”:”Scott Merkin”,”type”:”contributor”},{“__typename”:”ContributorTag”,”slug”:”brent-maguire”,”title”:”Brent Maguire”,”type”:”contributor”}],”type”:”story”,”thumbnail”:” Maldonado agrees with White Sox”}},”Person:455117″:{“__typename”:”Person”,”id”:455117},”Team:145″:{“__typename”:”Team”,”id”:145},”Team:117″:{“__typename”:”Team”,”id”:117}}}
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2:20 PM UTC
CHICAGO — Martín Maldonado and the White Sox have agreed on a one-year deal plus an option, a Major League source confirmed to MLB.com Tuesday. The club has not confirmed the move.
The deal is for $4 million with a $4 million vesting option for 2025, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand.
The 37-year-old Maldonado spent the last six seasons with the Astros after Houston acquired him in a midseason trade from the Angels in 2018. The veteran backstop owns a career .207/.282/.349 line with a 72 OPS+ across 13 MLB seasons with the Astros, Angels, Brewers, Cubs and Royals.
Long renowned for his superb defense and ability to handle a staff, Maldonado became the Astros’ top catcher across the last half-decade. Despite a .623 OPS in an Astros uniform — that number dropped to .593 the last three seasons — Maldonado was slotted in as Houston’s primary catcher due to his defense and success working with Astros pitchers. 2023 breakout rookie Yainer Diaz and veteran catcher Victor Caratini — whom the Astros signed to a multi-year contract this offseason — will handle catching duties for Houston in 2024.
Maldonado also worked with manager Pedro Grifol in Kansas City during the 2019 campaign, when Grifol was part of the Royals’ coaching staff. He played with Korey Lee in Houston, with Lee being acquired at the ’23 Trade Deadline in exchange for reliever Kendall Graveman as one of the team’s potential catchers of the future.
“I got to be around Martín Maldonado, I got to learn from him,” Lee said this past September. “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.”
This signing is sensible for the White Sox with a young pitching staff that now has another backstop to pair with Max Stassi, whom the team acquired from the Braves earlier this month, and Lee. With potential turnover coming for a White Sox team headed by new general manager Chris Getz — who might be tasked with moving frontline starter Dylan Cease — there’s value in signing a veteran catcher who’s been a part of many winning Astros teams.
Lee, 25, impressed the White Sox with his September work behind the plate, but for his young big league career, Lee is hitting .100 at the plate. Edgar Quero, the team’s 20-year-old switch-hitting catcher ranked No. 81 overall by MLB Pipeline, will benefit from working with Maldonado.
The White Sox had strong interest in Maldonado prior to acquiring Stassi, but that interest clearly continued for a catcher with 202 plate appearances and 65 games worth of playoff experience. Maldonado (8,663 2/3 innings) joins Salvador Perez (10,063 2/3), J.T. Realmuto (8,923 1/3), Yasmani Grandal (8,404 2/3) and Yan Gomes (8,242 2/3) as the only active backstops with more than 8,000 innings caught.
