January 25, 2009 at 10:00 AM
Carlos Maldonado signed to minor league deal
In an effort to add more veteran catching depth to the upper levels of the system, the Red Sox have signed journey man Carlos Maldonado to a minor league contract. A right-handed batter, Maldonado spent 2008 with the Pirates organization at Triple-A Indianapolis, where he was part of a three-headed catching tandem and put up .248/.312/.392 numbers with 3 home runs and 16 RBI in 125 at bats. The 30-year-old veteran also played in the Venezuelan Winter League this off season, where he posted an impressive .328/.422/.496 line with 5 home runs and 22 RBI in 125 at bats for los Leones del Caracas.Maldonado has played parts of 13 minor league seasons with the Mariners, Astros, White Sox, and Pirates organizations, owning a career .259/.330/.362 line with 55 home runs and 455 RBI in 3,433 at bats spanning 1,034 games. He also received a total of 43 at bats at the major league level as a September call-up with Pittsburgh in 2006 and 2007, collecting 7 hits, including a double and 2 home runs. Maldonado will receive an invitation to major league spring training, but will likely end up in the catching mix at Triple-A Pawtucket. His fate will ultimately depend on that of fellow catcher George Kottaras, who is on the 40-man roster but out of options.