As the Houston Astros seek to defend their World Series title, they made their first move to improve their odds this season. On Thursday, Houston reportedly acquired catcher Martin Maldonado from the Los Angeles Angels.
The #Angels are trading C Martin Maldonado to the Houston Astros. Return TBA. More to come on this story.
— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) July 26, 2018
Houston’s need for depth at catcher became more pressing when it lost Brian McCann to knee surgery at the start of July. Max Stassi was pushed into an everyday role and the team had to call up Tim Federowicz.
Now the need has been addressed and it comes with the addition of a defensive-first catcher who should help the Astros’ pitching staff and help the team cut down on stolen bases.
While Maldonado doesn’t have great offensive tools, which is shown in his .616 OPS and .284 batting average this season, he is respected for his defense behind the plate.
He leads the majors in caught stealing rate (44.4 percent) and his .994 fielding percentage is the fifth-highest among catchers. He should share time with Stassi until McCann returns.
The 31-year-old is an impending free agent this offseason, so Los Angeles was seeking to deal him for something in return before he left at the end of the season. The Angels will receive a prospect in return, though the name isn’t known at this time.