Astros Get Huge Boost at Key Position

The Houston Astros haven’t done much this offseason in terms of free agency. But, in one area, MLB.com believes the Astros have improved more than any other team in baseball.

Recently the site put together a list of the most improved teams at each position based on moves made this offseason. To determine the improvement, it compared FanGraphs’ 2023 positional leaderboards for wins above replacement (WAR) with its 2024 projections.

In one area the Astros made a big jump — catcher.

By simply moving on from Martín Maldonado and installing Yainer Diaz as the team’s everyday catcher, the Astros went from being ranked No. 25 in WAR at the position to a projected No. 9.

Maldonado’s tenure with the Astros was successful. He spent six seasons with the Astros (2018-23) and in each season the Astros went to, at minimum, the NL Championship Series. They also reached the World Series in 2019, 2021 and 2022, with the Astros winning the title in 2022.

Maldonado was known best for his defense and his ability to handle the pitching staff. But his bat was a liability. In his last five seasons with the Astros he never batted better than .212 and his five-season average was .191.

Maldonado signed with the Chicago White Sox.

Before Maldonado signed his deal, the Astros had already determined that Diaz would be the starter. While not Maldonado’s defensive equal yet, he is a massive upgrade at the plate.

As a rookie in 2023, he batted.282 with 23 home runs and 60 RBI in 104 games. He ended up finishing fifth in American League Rookie of the Year voting.

Also he earned a $333,108 bonus based on the pre-arbitration bonus pool for pre-arb players that out-perform their current pay based on a WAR formula and bonuses for individual league-wide awards.

To back him up the Astros signed Victor Caratini. Between the two, they should give the Astros an offensive boost in 2024 while Diaz continues to progress behind the dish.