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Astros acquire catcher Martín Maldonado from Cubs

Cincinnati Reds v Chicago Cubs

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JULY 16: Martin Maldonado #38 of the Chicago Cubs plays against the Cincinnati Reds during the first inning at Wrigley Field on July 16, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images)

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It was just two weeks ago that the Chicago Cubs acquired catcher Martín Maldonado from the Royals. Now, multiple outlets are reporting, the Cubs have flipped Maldonado to the Astros, for whom he played 41 games last year after being picked up at the 2018 deadline. Guess they missed him.

The Cubs got Maldonado to cover for the injured Willson Contreras. Since Contreras is now back in action, Maldonado is expendable. The Astros, for their part, have gotten poor performance from their catchers this year. Maldonado is no great shakes with the bat, but he’s a superior defensive catcher. If your catchers aren’t gonna hit, you may as well get the best non-hitting catchers you can find, right? At least that’s what I assume Houston is thinking.

Jeff Passan reports that utilityman Tony Kemp is headed to the Chicago in exchange for Maldonado.

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