Padres Veteran Announces Sudden Retirement

San Diego Padres catcher Martin Maldonado (15) shakes hands with relief pitcher Yuki Matsui (1) reacts after striking out Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing (68) for the final out of the ninth inning at Dodger Stadium on June 19. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Padres catcher Martin Maldonado announced his retirement Saturday on his Instagram account.

"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," Maldonado wrote. "Thank you, baseball. And thank you all for being part of this incredible journey."

More news: Padres Could Transition Mason Miller to Starting Pitcher, Says AJ Preller

Maldonado signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Padres in January. He played 64 games in 2025, finishing with 1,230 in his major league career. He slashed .204/.245/.327 in a backup role in what proved to be his final season.

"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," Maldonado wrote. "Thank you, baseball. And thank you all for being part of this incredible journey."

The Padres appeared to have reached the end of the road with Maldonado when they designated him for assignment on July 31 — the same day the Padres acquired Freddy Fermin from the Kansas City Royals. One week later, Maldonado was released.

After Maldonado lingered on the free agent market for a month, the Padres brought him back on a minor league contract, just ahead of the deadline for players to be eligible for the postseason. Maldonado finished the regular season on the Padres' active roster, but did not appear in another game.

More news: Padres Coach Nearly Fought Mike Shildt This Season: Report

The 2017 American League Gold Glove Award winner, Maldonado also spent time in his career with the Milwaukee Brewers (2011-16), Los Angeles Angels (2017-18), Houston Astros (2018-23), Kansas City Royals (2019), Chicago Cubs (2019), and Chicago White Sox (2024).

Maldonado retires with a .203 batting average, 119 home runs, and 384 RBIs in 4,208 major league plate appearances. He collected the only World Series ring of his career with the Astros in 2022. He also won pennants with the Astros in 2019 and 2021.

Maldonado caught three no-hitters in his career, all with the Astros. He was on the receiving end of combined no-hitters on Aug. 3, 2019 and Jun 25, 2022, and a complete game by Framber Valdez on Aug. 1, 2023.

Maldonado was also on the receiving end of two different immaculate innings — in the same game on June 15, 2022, when Astros pitchers Luis Garcia and Phil Maton did so against the Texas Rangers. No other MLB game has featured two immaculate innings, in which the pitcher retires all three batters on three-pitch strikeouts.

Besides his Gold Glove award, Maldonado also captured the Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2017.

For more Padres news, head over to Padres on SI.