Maldonado signs with Sox: I know I can help
The White Sox didn't officially sign Martin Maldonado to a one-year, $4.25 million contract Friday for his bat.
Even though he matched his career high with 15 home runs last season while playing for the Astros, Maldonado only hit .191/.258/.348 in 116 games.
Over his 13-year career with Houston, the Cubs, Kansas City, the Angels and Milwaukee, Maldonado has slashed a pedestrian .207/.282/.349.
Defensively, the 37-year-old catcher has been a difference maker.
That's why the Sox picked up Maldonado on a one-year deal that includes a $4 million club option for 2025 with a $250,000 buyout.
“I know I can help,” Maldonado said on a Zoom call Friday. “Whatever I can do to help those guys to win games, that's what's important to me.”
After losing 101 games last season, the White Sox are going through a seismic transition under new general manager Chris Getz.
Most of the 2023 starting rotation is long gone and the trade rumors surrounding holdover ace Dylan Cease are heating up again.
With Maldonado on the roster, unproven starters like Michael Kopech, Michael Soroka, Erick Fedde, Touki Toussaint and Chris Flexen should undoubtedly benefit from his years of experience.
The 6-foot, 225-pound Maldonado won a Gold Glove in 2017 and was a finalist for the award in '21.
"I would say my preparation and the way I care about the pitching staff,” he said when asked what's made him such a solid catcher. “The way I explain to them why, the reason why I do this or why I do that. I've been blessed, throughout my career I've been working with a lot of great pitching staffs and I always learn something from everybody. Our goal should be helping the pitchers get better on a daily basis.”
If Maldonado has his way, he'll be behind the plate on a regular basis for the White Sox this season even though he's at an advanced age at a demanding position.
"I love to play,” Maldonado said. “At that position you're never going to be 100 percent every day. I don't think anybody's 100 percent in baseball, because of the schedule. But I like to play the game. I like to be out there for my teammates.
“I do a lot of stretching, take care of my body. I feel like the day that you don't play, that's probably the day you'll do something cool. So I pretty much want to play every day."