Astros Legendary Catcher Martin Maldonado Announces His Retirement

Houston Astros legend Martin Maldonado has announced his retirement.

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The Houston Astros have seen many of their players from the previous era depart the team via free agency or trade over the years, but now one has decided to hang up the cleats.

In an Instagram post by Martin Maldonado, the legendary Astros catcher announced his retirement from the game of baseball at the age of 39. He spent this past season with the San Diego Padres, one year after spending the first half of 2024 with the Chicago White Sox following his departure from Houston at the conclusion of the 2023 season.

Maldonado had two stints with the Astros during his career, but it was the second one that cemented his place in franchise history.

"For 34 years, I've had the honor of wearing that gear — and for the last 15, doing it at the highest level. Today, it’s time to hang them up and officially call it a career ... As I take off the gear for the last time, I do it with a full heart — grateful, proud, and forever in love with the game that gave me everything. Thank you, baseball. And thank you all for being part of this incredible journey," he said as part of his statement.

Maldonado was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels in the 27th round of the 2004 draft. But following his release in 2007, he had to work his way up the Milwaukee Brewers' system after he signed a minor league deal with them. He eventually made it to The Show in 2011, appearing in three games that started the 15-year big league career that he had.

It wasn't until 2018 when he first arrived to Houston. Acquired from the Angels in exchange for pitching prospect Patrick Sandoval, Maldonado became part of the 2018 team that tried to win back-to-back World Series championships. But after the season, he became a free agent and signed elsewhere.

Martin Maldonado's Legendary Second Astros Stint

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Maldonado returned to the Astros via trade once again during the 2019 season. Acquired from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for Tony Kemp, it didn't take long for the veteran backstop to make his presence felt when he caught a combined no-hitter on Aug. 3, just days after he arrived.

Perhaps that was a foreshadowing of things to come, because Maldonado became a staple behind the plate for Houston during his second stint with the franchise, becoming one of the best glove-first catchers in Major League Baseball who could call elite games.

That was evident by him being just the second catcher in Astros history to catch multiple no-hitters, with his first coming in 2019, the second coming in 2022 and the third taking place in 2023. He also was the first catcher in MLB history to catch multiple combined no-hitters.

During Maldonado's time in Houston, he recorded a slash line of .191/.273/.350 with 58 home runs and 163 RBIs. But his value was much more than what he did at the plate, and that helped the Astros win the World Series in 2022 along with two AL pennants and four AL West titles from 2019-23.