Former Astros Catcher Receiving Interest From Multiple Teams

Some light has been shed on what the Houston Astros are going to do this offseason. General manager Dana Brown was very open in what the priorities for him and his front office will be.

While other teams are looking to make major splashes to get superstar talent onto their rosters, the Astros don't have that need.

They're loaded with homegrown stars who have championship experience and are poised to compete for yet another World Series title.

In order to make that happen, an area that Houston will be chasing is the backup catcher role to support Yainer Diaz throughout the 2024 season after the departure of Martin Maldonado in free agency.

There's also a chance that the Astros and their veteran catcher could agree to a deal this offseason as well.

Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports, "There remains mutual interest between the Astros and Maldonado in a reunion."

That would be under the stipulation that he would be comfortable in a backup role after serving as their starter for roughly five years. Brown and new manager Joe Espada have been clear that Diaz will be the starter in 2024.

But, if Houston does want a reunion with Maldonado, they'll have to fend off some other teams.

"Houston has competition to retain him. The San Diego Padres, Miami Marlins and Chicago White Sox are among the teams to check in on Maldonado, a person familiar with his market said this week," Rome writes.

With a limited budget, they could potentially lose out to these other teams on the open market if Maldonado is offered more money or better opportunity elsewhere.

The familiarity between the two parties could play into their favor as Rome says members of the pitching staff are hoping that he returns to the team.