Padres sign catcher Martin Maldonado to minor-league deal

San Diego adds catching depth with with veteran backstop.

The Padres gave their catching department some much needed help. The team signed veteran catcher Martin Maldonado to a minor-league contract Thursday. Dennis Lin of The Athletic reported the deal also includes a non-roster invite to Spring Training. The veteran backstop will compete for a roster spot starting next month.

Maldonado is coming off a dreadful 2024 in which he slashed .119/.174/.230. He added four homers and a career-low 11 RBI. The 38 year-old catcher isn’t necessarily being signed for his hitting prowess. He does supply solid defense behind the dish. Since 2018, Maldonado ranks 8th among Major League catchers in Caught Stealings Above Average with 13. He is 16th in Blocks Above Average with 25, according to Baseball Savant.

With the re-occurring struggles of Luis Campusano, it will be interesting to see how the Padres go about deploying the Major League catching tandem for the upcoming season. After Campusano, Brett Sullivan, and now Maldonado, the Friars don’t have much to work with internally in regards to big league caliber backstops for 2025. Ethan Salas is the catcher of the future. However, he is 18 years old and the No. 1 prospect will most likely make his debut in San Diego in 2026 at the earliest.

Maldonado lands with the seventh Major League team in his career. A signing like this is really low-risk, high-reward for both player and team. If Maldonado can at least regain some footing at the plate to go along with his defense, it might go a long way. Still, the Padres might still be inclined to seek out more catching help before or during Spring Training.

Armando Dueñas

Armando Dueñas is a 25 year-old journalist. He is a native San Diegan who grew up in the South Bay area. A lifelong Padres fan and baseball enthusiast, he resides just about fifteen minutes from Petco Park, where his love of the game began.