3 reasons why the White Sox made the right decision by signing Martin Maldonado
Martin Maldonado is coming to the Chicago White Sox in 2024.
The Chicago White Sox are trying to fill in some holes ahead of the 2024 season. Saying there are a lot of them to fill would be an understatement as they were a 61-101 team in 2023.
It is clear, based on the additions that they have already made, that being better defensively is a priority for them.
They were already bad offensively last season, so maybe being better with the glove will improve the team, even if it is sacrificing some offense.
On Tuesday night, we learned that the White Sox signed Martin Maldonado. This fits the narrative that the White Sox are trying to push.
The Chicago White Sox made an interesting signing in Martin Maldonado
Maldonado will play for his sixth MLB team in 2024 when he puts on that White Sox uniform for the first time. He had stints with the Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, Chicago Cubs, and Houston Astros before coming to the White Sox.
At 37 years old, Maldonado isn't going to be the savior for the White Sox but he will help them for the duration of his one-year contract.
This would have been an incredible contract to give out three years ago but now both Maldonado and the White Sox are in completely different situations.
With that in mind, there are a lot of good things that can come from a signing like this. They need to hope that he helps them in all the ways that he has helped other teams in the past. These are the three best reasons why this is a good idea for the White Sox:
Martin Maldonado is a World Series champion with tons of experience
The Chicago White Sox are a team that lacks experience. They made the playoffs in 2020 and 2021 but fumbled that opportunity. A lot of the players that were on those teams are already gone.
Martin Maldonado was a part of the Houston Astros team that defeated the White Sox in 2021. He has also made many other deep playoff runs throughout his career.
No experience is more valuable in the league than winning the World Series and Maldonado has done that. He won it all with Houston in 2022.
You can't teach what is learned from events like that. Maldonado has played in as big of games as you can play in when it comes to baseball.
That will be good for young players that are around him as a member of the White Sox. Having that type of championship-caliber mindset is something that could help Pedro Grifol as well.
The White Sox lacked veteran leadership in 2023 and the hope is that Maldonado can bring some of that here in 2024.
Martin Maldonado has been a very good defensive catcher in his career
The Houston Astros didn't care whether Maldonado hit well or not. They had Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, Kyle Tucker, and Yordan Alvarez to take care of that part of the game.
It showed in his stats, too. In 2023, Maldonado slashed .191/.258/.348/ for an OPS of .606. He hit 15 home runs and had 36 RBIs with 33 runs scored. The home run total isn't bad for 116 games played but the other numbers are below average.
The reason he is an everyday Major League player is his glove. His offensive stats were that bad in 2023 and he was still a plus WAR player.
With how bad it was last year with Yasmani Grandal and Seby Zavala, this is a major upgrade. Stolen bases, past balls, and plays at the plate are all going to be better for the White Sox with an actual catcher.
With improved defense at catcher, it might help the rest of the team as well. As mentioned before, there is improved defense coming in on all fronts and Maldonado is at the top of it all.
Martin Maldonado will be good for all of the young pitchers and catchers
Winning experience will help the team as a whole. However, the way Martin Maldonado is as a catcher will specifically help the young pitchers and catchers on the team.
With Korey Lee and Edgar Quero potentially in the mix, Maldonado could help them learn a few things that will get them ready for Major League Baseball.
The White Sox need to develop these guys into good catchers because Maldonado is far from the long-term answer.
If he could spend his one year helping them grow their game, his contract would pay for itself on that alone. At 37 years old with a ring and a Gold Glove, he has a lot of wisdom to share.
As for the pitchers, they could all use an upgrade when it comes to a defensive catcher/pitch framer. We don't know if Dylan Cease will be sticking around but youngsters like Garrett Crochet and Michael Kopech may benefit from this signing.
Again, some folks might not like the singing because it feels so "typical White Sox" but they needed to make a move similar to this. They have their 2024 catcher and he provides a few things that could help everybody in the long term.