The San Diego Padres released catcher Martín Maldonado and outrighted outfielder Tyler Wade to Triple-A El Paso, the team announced Wednesday.
It’s the latest roster churn following San Diego’s aggressive trade deadline moves. The Padres already sent two starting pitchers — Randy Vásquez and JP Sears — to the minors in the last four days.
Maldonado, the 2022 World Series champion with Houston, signed a minor-league deal with San Diego before the season and made the Opening Day roster. The veteran catcher hit just .204 with four home runs, 12 RBIs and a .572 OPS across 64 games this year.
His value came mostly behind the plate. But that wasn’t enough to keep him around after the Padres acquired Freddy Fermin from Kansas City at the deadline.
Maldonado was designated for assignment along with outfielder Trenton Brooks on July 31. The following day, Wade got the same treatment — for the second time this season.
Wade split time between starting and bench roles, posting a .206/.309/.252 slash line with nine RBIs and 13 runs scored in 60 games. He’s headed to Triple-A rather than being released outright.
Both moves clear space for the Padres’ deadline acquisitions. Fermin previously backed up Salvador Perez in Kansas City and brings solid defensive skills behind the plate.
The outfield picture also changed with Ramon Laureano and Ryan O’Hearn arriving from Baltimore. O’Hearn made his first All-Star team this year and gives the Padres another versatile bat.
What makes this roster shake-up different is how quickly it’s happening. Most teams take weeks to sort through their post-deadline pieces. San Diego’s moving fast to integrate their new players while the season’s still in reach.
The way I see it, these moves signal the Padres are committed to their deadline strategy. They didn’t just add talent — they’re making room for it to succeed.
