Astros Free-Agent Catcher Drawing Interest

The Houston Astros have committed to Yainer Diaz as their frontline starter for 2024. His bat earned the job. The rest of it will come along.

Former manager Dusty Baker talked all season about the value of catcher Martín Maldonado, who is now a free agent. Yes, his bat wasn’t there, but he could call a game and handle a pitching staff with the best of them.

Turns out, there are plenty of other teams that agree.

MLB.com reported on Thursday that while the Astros have expressed an interested in bringing Maldonado back, there are at least four or five teams that have expressed an interest in signing him.

That’s solid interest for a 37-year-old catcher whose mental tools are highly regarded in the game.

Maldonado is a 13-year veteran who has been with the Astros since 2019. He helped the Astros win the 2022 World Series and handled staffs that included Cy Young winner Justin Verlander and left-hander Framber Valdez, who threw the first no-hitter of his career in August with Maldonado behind the plate.

But what price would Maldonado get on the open market and how much playing time would he get? The offense is an issue. He slashed .191/.258/.348/.606 with 15 home runs and 36 RBI in 2023, and it was the third straight season in which his batting average fell below .200.

In fact, Maldonado has a lifetime batting average of .207.

Odds are he won’t get a free-agent contract right away. But the fact that he’s drawing interest should give the Astros some pause if their hope is to bring him back as a backup to Diaz.