Mariners acquire Blake Hunt, designate Samad Taylor for assignment

The Orioles have traded catcher Blake Hunt to the Mariners for cash considerations, reads announcements from both clubs. The O’s had designated Hunt for assignment earlier this week. The M’s designated infielder/outfielder Sam Taylor to task as a corresponding move.

Hunt, 26, was with the Mariners at this time last year. Seattle acquired him from the Rays in November 2023, but was flipped to the Orioles in May 2024. It seems their positive feelings toward Hunt didn’t fade as they’ve jumped at the chance to bring him back.

It’s a bet on a bounceback as Hunt’s prospect pedigree has faded. He did well in the lower levels of the minors, then in the Padres system, giving him enough helium to be one of four players acquired by the Rays in December 2020 Blake Snell part. Shortly after that exchange, 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 bounced back a bit in 2023 with a .256/.331/.484 line and 106 wRC+. But between the M’s and O’s last year, he had a combined .218/.273/.364 line and 60 wRC+.

Despite the inconsistent performance, the M’s still seem to like the idea of ​​Hunt as a depth catcher. He still has a few options and can be kept in Triple-A until needed. The club currently expects to have Cal Raleigh as his primary prisoner, with Mitch Garver second on the depth chart. Nick Raposo was on the roster until he got the DFA treatment yesterday. View 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 sacrifice some depth elsewhere. Taylor, 26, has bounced around the diamond in his professional career. He has played all three outfield spots and the three infield positions to the left of first base.

His big league experience is limited as he has 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 .215/.288/.277 line in his 74 big league games.

As you might 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 attempts. 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 it’s a trade or a fate on waivers. The opt-out process takes 48 hours, so a trade must be collected within 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 because of his speed, defensive versatility and flashes of offensive potential.