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.
You’re right Kurt keep whining and buying those tickets. I’ll keep running my billion dollar business however the heck I want whether you like it or not. People like you are why I have the money I have. That “I buy tickets so I can complain” mindset has kept me awake not one night. Now if you shut up and stopped buying tickets I might notice.
People like me? When did I say I still buy tickets (I haven’t in years)? When did I say any of the malarkey you attributed to me? Besides, let’s face facts…you don’t need me, or anyone else, to do anything to encourage you. You’d still be a total a**hole in an empty room, without anyone’s help.
And you say that because you’ve met me or cause I don’t spend my money the way you want me to? Looks like I’m not the only one making assumptions. PS thanks for making it clear you’re a whiner who doesn’t support the team. Now your voice means less than i thought possible.
So you’re whining about whining?
Sports teams area business, but they are also a passion. Nothing wrong with expecting the most from a team. With the M’s you are not getting it. The owner is like a guy selling plywood during a typhoon and fans are calling him out on it.
Half the teams in the league are cheap. With the price of teams these days, the only people who can afford it are billionaires and corporations. Billionaires didn’t get to be billionaires by losing money.
I am curious about this plywood in a typhoon analogy. Please explain
Business and passion yes. Too many fans get the order of that wrong from the owners perspective. Wanna change the narrative? Buy a team and put passion first. You’ll be selling before the inks dry on buying.
Why are you pretending to be Stanton. I would respect the ownership group if they would have followed what they said right after buying the team. Basically money will not be an obstacle our first priority is to bring a champion to the city.
I kind of understand going cheap right now. Don’t spend a bunch of money and wait for the kids to come up. Not block any of them. If they would be honest and say we are trying to save money so we can sign our pitchers in a couple years. The route they are taking makes me think they won’t spend the money to keep them all.
I predict when most are up for new contracts BB will be like MLS you will have to pay to watch. I forget who had some of the games last year but it will be a pay per view event. If Stanton and this group can’t make money and have a winning team they should sell. If they brought in players on short term deals the team could be successful and profitable. Remember the year we won all those games? Almost all games were sold out. Have a WS team and they will be. You make more the longer you play in October. Because of my back and the distance I don’t get to many games. I would like to go but tough for me.
We the fans are the ones that make the team money. Nobody on the team or FO do. Granted players will have fans to come and buy their gear but that will be a drop in the bucket compared to his salary. The fans should and do have a voice on platforms like this. You complaining about selling the team chants is as dumb as people saying you can’t call the team yours. I can call it mine all I want. If you don’t like it pass my posts. I won’t tell you you can’t whine about sell the team mantra you have the right to feel that way and say it that doesn’t mean it right.
There a saying a fairly intelligent man came up with it goes like this:
The people that scream tolerance the loudest are the least tolerant of all!!!!!!
“If Stanton and this group can’t make money”
Seattle was the most profitable team (dollars in vs dollars out by %) in the league and it’s not because they didn’t spend. They just didn’t spend what you want them to. Who should they sell to and why? Cause one win from the playoffs wasn’t good enough? Spending doesn’t equal success. How many times have the Royals won it all since the last time the Yankees did? Giants? Friggin Marlins? Did any one of them outspend the Yanks? Nope
“We the fans are the ones who make teams money”. Agreed that’s my point. If you don’t like the product don’t spend on it. But don’t spend on it and come here complaining. Another wise man once said “if you want them to take notice hit them in the wallet”.
Big day for catchers named Blake.
Blake Swihart spotted at Sea Tac.
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.
There’s always a way to speculate about it without being an optimist. Maybe Garver for Anthony Rendon?
I’d rather re-sign your namesake, bloomquist4hof. He’s only 47, after all.
I don’t think the Angels have the prospect capital to move Rendon. If they took back Garver and Haniger and ate 30M more (mostly next year), that probably makes it financially viable.
I struck him out looking in high school. It’s my Al Bundy moment lol
I threw a couple penalty flags on Jake Locker and fouled him out of his last basketball game. Is that a big deal?
You fouled a football player out of a basketball game and mention it in a baseball thread. I think your question answers itself.
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.
They brought back Hunt, because Nottingham isn’t available
They brought back Nottingham two weeks ago on a minor league deal.
Sometimes it feels like DiPoto been listening to ‘thrift shop’ too much.
Just bargain hunting for other people’s discards thinking it’s cool
This guy is not worth losing Samad Taylor, unless this was a set-up for trading Samad for somebody.
This is the second part of the Miles Mastruoboni trade from the Mariners perspective. Added defensive versatility in Miles who basically replaces Taylor. Upgraded (from their perspective) their 3rd catcher from Raposo to Hunt. Taylor, like Mastruoboni has little place in the roster with 5-6 guys as good/better.
After the D-Backs inked C. Burnes, owner Ken Kendrick said “All of those things drive the train, and then what do we do? Every dollar that comes in we’re going to reinvest it in ballplayers and not in the ownership, and we will always do that,”
The “things” he referred to: new revenue from a sponsored jersey patch, sportsbook @ the stadium, concerts @ Chase Field and increased attendance.
I don’t follow the D-Backs close enough to know if this is “all smoke & no fire” or if he follows through.
But does it really doesn’t matter, compared to what the top brass of the Mariners say/do?
If the M’s were to sign one and only one of the top remaining infield free agents with a comment like this at the introductory press conference, that would flip many of the fans feelings about this team in the short term.
Kendrick and Middleton of the Phillies know how to at least give the fans what they want to hear and seems they follow up on those statements with actions.
High dollar FA(s) will not be getting contract offer(s) from Seattle, statements mirroring anything like the above will not come from ownership and Stanton & Co are not selling the team (I wouldn’t).
Until those things change, Seattle will be a .500 team only playing October baseball with a lucky season.