Padres finally part with player fans have been begging for since the day he signed

On August 6, the San Diego Padres officially released veteran catcher Martín Maldonado and outrighted utilityman Tyler Wade to Triple-A El Paso, another aftershock in the wake of the team’s aggressive trade deadline.

Let’s be honest, this move wasn’t exactly a curveball. The writing’s been on the clubhouse wall ever since the Padres traded for Freddy Fermin from the Royals to share catching duties with Elias Díaz. And while either Díaz or Maldonado could’ve been shown the door, Díaz holds a mutual option for 2026. Maldonado? He’s 38 and was on a one-year deal. One way or another, this was always a rental with an expiration date.

Maldonado’s time runs out as Padres upgrade catching situation

Maldonado was a low-risk, emergency patch on a 2025 roster that found itself duct-taping together a catcher room. Known for his steady glove and veteran presence, his offense has always been… let’s say, theoretical. He hasn’t finished a season hitting above .200 since 2020. Though, to his credit, he used to at least pair that sub-Mendoza line batting average with double-digit homers during his Houston years (thank you, Crawford Boxes).

San Diego didn’t get that version. Maldonado finishes his Padres stint with four homers (2 at Petco Park), 12 RBIs, and a .204/.245/.327 slash line over 64 games. But hey, silver lining: he finished above the Mendoza Line. Thanks in part to a two-hit game on July 30 that nudged his average from .196 to a proud .204. Can’t take that away from him, especially with his plans to retire at the end of this season.

In the meantime, Freddy Fermin has wasted no time reminding fans what a functioning bat looks like from a catcher. Through just four games in August, Fermin is slashing .333/.429/.333 with three RBIs and two walks. His impact is already obvious, and a massive upgrade from the offensive sinkhole the Padres had behind the plate pre-deadline.

As for Tyler Wade, the ultimate jack-of-all-positions, he’s headed back to El Paso after hitting just .206 with a .561 OPS in 59 games. The utility slot remains fluid, especially with roster spots tight and postseason aspirations alive.

Now, of course, nobody’s celebrating someone losing their job. But in this case? Let’s just say Padres fans have been circling this move on their wish list since spring training. It was overdue, it was necessary, and it might just be one of those “addition by subtraction” moments that matters in a tight playoff race.

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