Chicago White Sox fan Martin Maldonado will arrive in 2024.
With the 2024 season quickly approaching, the Chicago White Sox are attempting to cover certain gaps. Given that they finished 2023 as a 61-101 club, to say there are a lot of them to fill would be an understatement.
Based on the signings they have already made, it is evident that improving their defense is a top goal for them.
Even though they lost some offensive production the previous season, perhaps improving the glove can help the club improve overall.
We found out Tuesday night that Martin Maldonado had signed with the White Sox. This is consistent with the story the White Sox are attempting to promote.
Martin Maldonado is an interesting addition to the Chicago White Sox. When he dons the White Sox uniform for the first time in 2024, Maldonado will represent his sixth Major League Baseball team. Before joining the White Sox, he was a member of the Houston Astros, Los Angeles Angels, Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, and Kansas City Royals.
Maldonado, who is 37 years old, won’t save the White Sox, but he will be useful to them for the term of his one-year deal.
Three years ago, this would have been an amazing contract to offer, but things have changed drastically for Maldonado and the White Sox since then.
Considering that, a signature such as this can lead to many positive outcomes. They must hope he assists them in every way he has assisted previous teams in the past. The White Sox should consider this for the following three main reasons:
Throughout his career, Martin Maldonado has excelled as a defensive catcher.
Whether Maldonado hit well or not didn’t matter to the Houston Astros. They have Yordan Alvarez, Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman, and Jose Altuve to handle that aspect of the game.
His statistics also indicated that. Maldonado slashed.191/.258/.348 in 2023, good for an OPS of.606. In addition to scoring 33 runs, he added 36 RBIs and 15 home runs. With 116 games played, the home run total isn’t too bad, but the other stats are below average.
His glove is the reason he plays in Major League Baseball every day. Even though he had such poor offensive numbers in 2023, he was still a positive WAR player.
This is a significant improvement considering how awful it was with Yasmani Grandal and Seby Zavala last year. The White Sox will be better at stolen bases, passed balls, and plays at the bat if they have a real catcher.
It might benefit the rest of the squad as well with better defense at catcher. Maldonado is leading the way in improving defense, as was previously highlighted on all fronts.
Martin Maldonado has been a standout defensive catcher for the entirety of his career.
The Houston Astros didn’t care if Maldonado hit good or not. To manage that part of the game, they have Alex Bregman, Jose Altuve, Kyle Tucker, and Yordan Alvarez.
Maldonado slashed.191/.258/.348 in 2023, enough for an OPS of.606, according to his statistics. He not only hit 15 home runs and 36 RBIs, but he also scored 33 runs. The home run number isn’t too bad with 116 games played, but the other metrics are below average.
He plays in Major League Baseball every day because of his glove. He was still a positive WAR player in 2023 despite his dismal offensive performance.
Considering how terrible things were with Yasmani Grandal and Seby Zavala the previous year, this is a huge improvement. If the White Sox had a legitimate catcher, they will be more proficient at plays at the bat, passed balls, and stolen bases.
Better catcher defense could help the rest of the team as well. As was previously mentioned, Maldonado is setting the standard for defense improvement on all fronts.