Martín Maldonado is perhaps best known for his role in six different Astros playoff runs. Carmen Mandato / Getty Images
HOUSTON — Longtime major-league catcher Martín Maldonado announced his retirement from baseball Saturday morning, concluding a 15-season career that saw him catch 1,172 games and play a pivotal role in the Houston Astros’ ascension into an American League superpower.
Maldonado, 39, played for seven teams in his career, but is perhaps best known for his role in six different Astros playoff runs. Houston acquired Maldonado at two separate trade deadlines and played in the American League Championship Series every season Maldonado was on its roster.
Maldonado started 13 of the Astros’ 15 postseason games en route to the 2022 World Series championship — and played most of the second half with both a broken hand and a sports hernia that required surgery. Maldonado caught three no-hitters with the Astros, including Framber Valdez’s gem against the Cleveland Guardians in July 2023.
He signed a minor-league contract with the San Diego Padres in January, and went .204/.245/.327 in 161 plate appearances before being designated for assignment in July. He was released, then signed another minor-league contract with the team in August and was part of the Padres’ Wild Card Series roster, though he did not appear in any games.
Known for his game-calling aptitude and a strong throwing arm that earned him the nickname “Machete,” Maldonado won an American League Gold Glove in 2017 with the Los Angeles Angels, the franchise that selected him in the 27th round of the 2004 MLB Draft.
Maldonado made his major-league debut in 2011 with the Milwaukee Brewers. He spent 12 of his 15 seasons with either the Brewers or Astros, developing from a backup in Milwaukee to an everyday backstop in both Los Angeles and Houston.
Maldonado plans to play for Team Puerto Rico in next year’s World Baseball Classic, and has long been viewed as a future coach or manager at the major-league level. Maldonado has expressed an interest in that career path, perhaps drawing a parallel to Guardians manager Stephen Vogt’s post-retirement activity.
Vogt coached for one season with the Seattle Mariners before the Guardians hired him to manage in 2024. His success should only increase the likelihood that Maldonado or other candidates of his ilk get similar chances.
Oct 18, 2025
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