Carroll, Maldonado elect free agency

By Dan Kolko

Nationals

October 17, 2012, 11:21am

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Outfielder Brett Carroll and catcher Carlos Maldonado, two players who spent the bulk of the 2012 season with Triple-A Syracuse but had brief stints with the Nationals, have filed for free agency. Carroll was on the Nationals' opening day roster and appeared in five games before being designated for assignment. The 30-year-old went 0-for-2 with two runs scored with the Nats and batted .250 with 10 home runs and 50 RBIs in 111 games at Syracuse. The former 10th-round pick of the Marlins in 2004 was signed to a minor league contract by the Nationals last offseason. Maldonado appeared in four games with the Nats this season during a stretch when it seemed every catcher in the Nationals' organization came down with some sort of injury. The 33-year-old Maldonado appeared in four games, going 0-for-9 with one RBI and two walks before landing on the disabled list with a back injury. He played 51 games at Syracuse, batting .210. Maldonado was behind Sandy Leon and Jhonatan Solano - two young, fairly highly regarded prospects - on the organizational depth chart at catcher. Baseball America's Matt Eddy first reported the news on Carroll and Maldonado.