It appears that the White Sox are not done adding at the catching position after trading for Max Stassi.
According to Robert Murray of FanSided, the White Sox are closing in on an agreement with Martin Maldonado. The club has not confirmed the report, though Jon Heyman has confirmed Murray’s report and noted that it is a one-year deal with an option.
Maldonado, 37, has spent the past six seasons in Houston, where he’s certainly been reliant on his defense. The former Astro slashed a mere .191/.273/.350 during his time in the Space City and has hit just .207/.282/.349 over 13 major league seasons.
As the White Sox roster stands right now, Max Stassi would be at the top of the depth chart after the club traded for him from Atlanta a few weeks ago. Stassi, 32, is a former 2009 fourth-round draft pick of the Oakland Athletics. He’s played in parts of nine major league seasons with the Astros and Angels, hitting a combined .212/.295/.361 over 1,285 career plate appearances.
Korey Lee is the likely candidate to lose major league at-bats this season as a result of the move. A former teammate of Maldonado’s in Houston, Lee had a decent .278/.325/.386 slash line in 86 Triple-A games in 2023. However, he failed to carry that over during his major league stint towards the end of last season, where he hit just .077/.143/.138 over 70 plate appearances.
Right behind Lee is also prospect Edgar Quero, who was the main piece of the Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez trade with the Angels. The 20-year-old backstop still needs some further development in the minors, and likely won’t see major league action until the second half of 2024 or even 2025. This is where a veteran like Maldonado, albeit not a great option, will likely factor into the mix and provide guidance for current catchers and pitchers in the meantime. Given his lack of offensive production and growing age, it would make sense for Maldonado to serve in more of a short-term, backup-type role.
While it isn’t a flashy move by any means, bringing in another veteran to help guide what looks to be a very young and inexperienced staff in 2023 could certainly be viewed as a benefit for the future.
As contract details are revealed, we will provide updates.
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Wait… Maldando is 37 years old?!?! They broke my heart by letting go of Abreu last year & TA after 2023. I still get mad when I think about the Larussa saga and going from a World Series contender to a 100+ loss team 2023. I just knew they’d hire an external GM…no chance. I’ve been a Sox fan for life – it costs me over $300 to take the family of 4 to a game. I wont be back to Rate until the Sox have a team that plays over 500. If the leadership doesn’t care – why should I waste my money. There is a price for pissing off your fanbase… and I believe Middleton was 100% correct.