Padres Officially Release Veteran After Disappointing Season

The San Diego Padres announced Wednesday that they have formally released veteran catcher Martin Maldonado, who was designated for assigment last week.

We have released C Martín Maldonado, and INF/OF Tyler Wade has been outrighted to Triple-A El Paso.
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) August 6, 2025

The writing was on the wall when the Padres acquired Freddy Fermin from the Kansas City Royals at last Thursday's trade deadline, upending their catching tandem.

Fermin, 30, immediately got the opportunity to take the lion's share of innings behind the plate that he was never going to get in Kansas City.

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The Padres designated Maldonado for assignment in a corresponding roster move, ending the 38-year-old's tenure in San Diego.

Maldonado hit .204 with four home runs and 12 RBIs in 64 games, splitting time with Elias Diaz behind the plate.

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The 2019 American League Gold Glove Award winner, Maldonado has played 1,230 games for seven different organizations since his 2011 debut.

Maldonado is a career .203/.277/.343 hitter with the Milwaukee Brewers (2011-16), Angels (2017-18), Houston Astros (2018-23), Royals (2019), Chicago Cubs (2019), Chicago White Sox (2024) and Padres (2025).

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The Padres took a low-risk flier on Maldonado in January when they signed him to a one-year minor league contract that paid $1 million if Maldonado reached the majors.

The fact that Maldonado persisted on the Padres' major league roster through the end of July was a testament to their lack of depth at the position. Diaz, a former All-Star, did little to claim the position by slashing .201/.266/.304.

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Padres general manager A.J. Preller paid a hefty price to acquire Fermin, sending pitchers Stephen Kolek and Ryan Bergert to Kansas City.

Now, the Padres have also lost Maldonado, who's free to sign with any team if he wants to extend his career.

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Another Padres veteran, Tyler Wade, lost his roster spot amid the trade-deadline roster shuffle too. However, Wade accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A El Paso, keeping him in the organization for the stretch run.

A valuable baserunner and versatile defender, Wade is eligible for the Padres' postseason roster if he is in the organization on Sept. 1.

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Wade has been with the Padres since 2024, signing a minor league contract before playing 90 games during the 2024 regular season. He played in 60 games this season, slashing .206/.309/.252 with no home runs and nine RBIs.

More to come on this story from Padres on SI.