15-Year MLB Veteran Announces Decision on Retirement

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Elie Deglaoui | Last updated Jun 23, 2025 3:46 PM ET

The MLB season is now officially nearly halfway through, with this year's All-Star Game set to take place in less than a month on July 15. So far in the campaign, there have been plenty of surprising and disappointing teams, and a lot of teams aiming to rebound from a tough end to their season last year, and this includes the San Diego Padres.

After finishing last season with a 93-64 record, the Padres lost in the NLDS to the eventual champion Los Angeles Dodgers. So far this year, they are 42-35 and sit in third place in the NL West standings.

San Diego will look to continue their strong season and have a better finish to their campaign, and that is especially true given the latest retirement decisions for one of their veterans.

While he is not their most valuable player, catcher Martin Maldonado has brought a veteran presence to San Diego after joining the team as a free agent. However, it seems that his Padres career is only going to last one season as the 15-year veteran is set to retire after this season (h/t Bob Nightengale of USA Today).

"San Diego Padres veteran Gold Glove catcher Martin Maldonado plans to retire after this season, giving him 15 years in the major leagues," Nightengale wrote. "He says he wants to take a year off after retirement, and then is interested in getting back in the game on a coaching staff."

Maldonado has played for numerous teams throughout his MLB career, but perhaps his best season was when he was a member of the Los Angeles Angels. In 2017, the Puerto Rico native took home the only Gold Glove award of his career. Additionally, he batted .221 at the plate, hit 14 home runs, and recorded 38 RBIs.

As Maldonado prepares for the rest of his final season in the MLB, he and the Padres will look to keep the momentum going and aim for postseason success.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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