We’re slowly approaching the end of our Season In Review series, which means Spring Training isn’t far away. Right-handed reliever Anthony Maldonado made it back to the big leagues for the second consecutive year but only made it into six games for the Athletics. Now he’s set to pitch for a division rival next year so we will be seeing him again soon enough.
How Was He Acquired?
Maldonado, a former 11th round pick by the Miami Marlins, hit free agency for the first time last winter after spending his
entire pro career in the Miami system. It took him four years to climb the ladder and he made his big league debut in 2024 when he appeared in 16 games for the Marlins.
After the season he was put on outright waivers. Miami was likely hoping to sneak their relief prospect through unclaimed but the Athletics jumped at the chance to add an interesting and young bullpen arm. They put in the winning claim for Maldonado and added him to the roster almost immediately following the season on November 4th.
What Were The Expectations?
The righty wouldn’t last all offseason on the 40-man roster, getting designated for assignment to make roster space for another waiver claim in fellow rookie reliever Elvis Alvarado. This time however the 27-year-old would go unclaimed, allowing the A’s to outright him to Triple-A. That made life easier on the front office as the team could store him down in Las Vegas until they needed him. Maldonado had always put up strong numbers in Triple-A but had yet to get much of a chance in the big leagues. The A’s brought him in as a depth piece with the chance of uncovering a hidden gem.
2025 Results
The righty began the season in Las Vegas and started the year strong for the Aviators, allowing just one run over his first nine appearances. That put him near the front of the line for the next man up when the A’s needed one and he didn’t have to wait long. The Athletics selected his contract on May 16th, bringing him back to the big leagues for the first time this season.
The A’s didn’t wait around to use him either, sending him to the mound for cleanup duty in a blowout loss to the Giants that same evening. His first outing didn’t go well as he allowed a pair of runs to score but at least it was in a lopsided loss. The next outing actually hurt the team as he allowed two runs to score in a tied game in the top of the ninth against the Angels, directly costing the A’s a win there. Not a good first impression to say the least.
The righty was hardly used from there. He made three scoreless appearances totaling four full frames, but in his sixth and ultimately final appearance in the Green & Gold he got lit up for four earned runs in another blowout loss. At that point the A’s felt the need to shake things up again and they optioned him back to Las Vegas. He’d get recalled and optioned again a couple more times but didn’t make it back into a big league game. Meanwhile his strong start in Triple-A didn’t last as he got hit hard in the final few months of the season. On the year he posted a 5.10 ERA in 41 minor league contests and a tough-to-look-at 12.00 ERA in six big league games.
2026 Outlook
Maldonado was outrighted off the A’s roster at the end of the year and he elected free agency, hitting the market for the second time in as many years. Ands like last time around, he didn’t want to wait around for his next home. Maldonado inked a minor league deal with the division-rival Houston Astros on November 14th with an invite to Spring Training. Houston’s bullpen is very left-handed heavy so the right-handed Maldonado could get some more run this coming season. He also has one final option year so the Astros may end up using him in a similar manner to how the A’s utilized the righty in his lone season with the club.
