The Orioles have traded catcher Blake Hunt to the Mariners in exchange for cash considerations, according to announcements from both clubs. The O’s had designated Hunt for assignment earlier this week. The M’s designated infielder/outfielder Samad Taylor for assignment as a corresponding move.
Hunt, 26, was with the Mariners at this time last year. Seattle acquired him from the Rays in November of 2023 but was flipped to the Orioles in May of 2024. It seems their positive feelings towards Hunt didn’t fade, as they have taken the chance to bring him back.
It’s a bet on a bounceback, as Hunt’s prospect pedigree has faded. He performed well in the lower levels of the minors, then in the Padres’ system, which gave him enough helium to be one of four players acquired by the Rays in the December 2020 Blake Snell deal. Shortly after that swap, FanGraphs ranked Hunt just outside the top 100 as part of their 2021 prospect rankings.
Since then, Hunt’s minor league performance has been up and down. He slashed .225/.301/.369 over 2021 and 2022 for a wRC+ of 80, then came back a bit in 2023 with a .256/.331/.484 line and 106 wRC+. But between the M’s and the O’s last year, he had a combined .218/.273/.364 line and 60 wRC+.
Despite the inconsistent performance, the M’s seem to still like the idea of Hunt as a depth catcher. He still has a couple of options and can be kept in Triple-A until needed. The club currently projects to have Cal Raleigh as its primary catcher, with Mitch Garver second on the depth chart. Nick Raposo was on the roster until he got the DFA treatment yesterday. Prospect Harry Ford could be in the mix this year but still hasn’t made his Triple-A debut.
To add that catching depth, the M’s are sacrificing a bit of depth elsewhere. Taylor, 26, has bounced around the diamond in his professional career. He’s played all three outfield spots and the three infield positions to the left of first base.
His big league experience is limited, as he’s only appeared in 34 games. 31 of those were with the 2023 Royals and then three with the M’s last year. He has a tepid line of .215/.288/.277 in his 74 major league plate appearances.
As one would expect, his minor league numbers are better, though he’s coming off a down year in that regard. From 2021 to 2023, he slashed .287/.385/.468 for a wRC+ of 125 and also stole 96 bases in 119 tries. Last year, he hit .262/.352/.380 in 599 Triple-A plate appearances for an 88 wRC+, though he did steal another 50 bags.
The Mariners will now have a week to figure out what’s next for Taylor, whether that’s a trade or some fate on waivers. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so a trade would need to come together in the next five days. Taylor still has a minor league option and less than a year of service time, so he should appeal to clubs as a depth option due to his speed, defensive versatility and flashes of offensive potential.
lol
Making the Mike baumann trade right
Another championship move by the Mariners who are content on fielding an infield of utility players. Sell the team please!
Couldn’t agree more
You get used to it after awhile what more is there to complain about
I actually like seeing the minor league moves now because of how screwed up this team is
Sell the team is such a silly mantra. You know the next group isn’t gonna be cheaper? Yeah I don’t either. As a mariners fan “sell the team” is such a cop out. Corn flakes went from 3 dollars to 4 where’s the sell Walmart chants?
You have a misguided ranking of where your happiness is in this scenario. A major league team is a business and in business making money comes first. The product on the field is second and its responsibility is to the first thing. Making money. Your happiness is third at best. Don’t like it go watch tennis or golf but don’t toss tantrums at a business owner for running a business. One that was one game away from the playoffs mind you. Y’all talk like it’s a terrible product but I can think of several fanbases that would have enjoyed the 85 wins you feel you deserve more of.
Thanks John, at least we know you take time out of your busy schedule to read the rumor boards.
You’re welcome Kurt now stop the whining. Complaining on message boards isn’t fixing anything. Don’t want the owner to make money? Don’t go to the games. Take action cause words don’t hit anyone in the wallet.
If people don’t whine on these boards, John, you wouldn’t be able to come on here and whine about them whining.
Big day for catchers named Blake.
Has there ever been a more mind boggling execution of an off-season from a team ready to be in the running?
The 2026 M’s offseason comes to mind
Outstanding!!
Nope. But John Stanton thinks everything is perfectly fine and Dipoto is clearly banking on better seasons from Julio, Garver, Haniger, Arozarena…
They’ve improved or stayed the same at every position since last years opening day. Just a bit lower potential at 2B to start the year.
I have a arbitrary fondness for Samad Taylor because he was very clutch for me in a save of OOTP25, so I hope he ends up getting a shot somewhere.
Yo same…. They make him so good, so fast, and so versatile
I knew this would happen; they love former prospects that they have to begrudgingly trade away (see Austin Shenton)
Guess you can never have enough catchers on hand, especially in ST. But there’s not a lot of catching time available for the Mariners at either MLB or AAA.
They were woefully ill equipped in this regards last year; Zavala got too many important ABs when Raleigh wasn’t catching.
Blake Hunt was on the team last year… they went with Zavala. Still woefully ill-equipped.
You need a triple a catcher which is Hunt. And if Garver gets hurt early on, Hunt is a backup catcher who gets 50-60 ABs tops until Harry Ford gets the call. These are moves every organization makes.
Refuse to -l-o-s-e- Spend
A Mitch Garver trade could be coming next given this move..
You are, indeed, an optimist.
Good thing his first name isn’t Michael..
So they are bringing him back? He started last season in their organization. They know him pretty well.
With a good spring, I kinda thought Samad might make the 26 as a PR/defense bench piece, especially with the pickup of base-clogger Solano. The team still needs 2 bats to even think about a playoff run. Otherwise, it’s Shenton/Moore/Solano at 3B and Bliss/Rivas/Moore at 2B who, with Garver as backup C, form a 4-man bench that frightens no one. Yeesh.
Mariners should have sent back Dooley Womack rather than cash, that way Hunt can feel good here
and in all seriousness, Dooley was a pretty solid pitcher
Guys
They are just acquiring more pieces for that Soto trade. Getting closer!
Samad Taylor to the Braves for infield depth. Can also use the depth and speed in the outfield until Acuna returns full strength.