Royals' Martin Maldonado: Catches on with Kansas City
Maldonado and the Royals came to terms Saturday on a one-year, $2.5 million contract, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports. The deal includes an additional $1.4 million in incentives.
After Kansas City lost top catcher Salvador Perez (elbow) to season-ending Tommy John surgery earlier this spring, the club wasted little time on checking in with Maldonado, the top option at the position still on the open market. The two sides were able to strike a deal fairly quickly, so Maldonado should have enough time to get in enough defensive work and at-bats over the next couple weeks to ensure he'll be ready for Opening Day. The 2017 Gold Glove winner will make his greatest impact on the defensive end, but the likelihood that he'll handle the majority of the starts behind the dish for Kansas City gives him some appeal as a second catcher in AL-only formats or deeper mixed leagues that start two backstops.
