Martin Maldonado, a veteran of 15 seasons whose fielding talent as a catcher allowed him to overcome a light bat, announced his retirement from Major League Baseball on Saturday.
Maldonado played 64 games for the San Diego Padres in 2025, and 1,230 in his career. The 2017 American League Gold Glove Award winner 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).
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Maldonado caught three no-hitters in his career and was on the receiving end of two different immaculate innings — in the same game on June 15, 2022, when pitchers Luis Garcia and Phil Maton did so against the Texas Rangers. No other game has featured two immaculate innings, in which the pitcher retires all three batters on three-pitch strikeouts.
“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,” Maldonado wrote in an Instagram post on Saturday.
“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.”
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Maldonado retires with a career .203 batting average, 119 home runs, and 384 RBIs in 4,208 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.
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.
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After Maldonado lingered on the free agent market for a month, the Padres signed him to a minor league contract ahead of the deadline for players to be eligible for the postseason. Maldonado finished the season on the Padres’ active roster, but did not appear in another game.
“Glad we got the chance to play together!” former teammate Chris Owings — who recently announced his own retirement — wrote in response to Maldonado’s Instagram post. “Unreal teammate & one of the smartest guys to take the field! Congrats on an amazing career!”
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