The Orioles today announced that they have acquired catcher BLAKE HUNT from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for right-handed pitcher MIKE BAUMANN and minor league catcher MICHAEL PÉREZ. Hunt has been optioned to Triple-A Norfolk.
Hunt, 25, is slashing .293/.372/.533 (22-for-75) with four doubles, one triple, four home runs, 15 runs scored, 20 RBI, six walks, and four hit-by-pitches in 23 games with Triple-A Tacoma this season. He’s posted a .988 fielding percentage in his eight-year career while throwing out 25.7 percent (115-of-448) would-be base stealers. The former Competitive Balance Round B selection out of Mater Dei (CA) High School by the San Diego Padres in 2017 was acquired by the Tampa Bay Rays as part of a five-player trade that sent BLAKE SNELL to the Padres on December 29, 2020, before being traded to the Mariners for catcher TATEM LEVINS on November 6, 2023. Hunt has yet to appear in a Major League game, and is ranked as the No. 23 Mariners prospect by MLB Pipeline.
Baumann, 28, made 17 relief appearances this season with Baltimore, going 1-0 with a 3.44 ERA (7 ER/18.1 IP) on 18 hits (2 HR), nine walks, one hit-by-pitch, and 16 strikeouts. Baumann has spent his entire eight-year professional career in the organization, including parts of four MLB seasons since 2021, compiling a 13-5 record with a 4.45 ERA (63 ER/127.1 IP) in 94 MLB games (4 starts). He was originally selected by the Orioles in the third round of the 2017 First-Year Player Draft out of Jacksonville University (FL).
Pérez, 31, appeared in 21 games this year with Triple-A Norfolk, slashing .221/.294/.325 (17-for-77) with two doubles, two home runs, four runs, 13 RBI, five walks, and three hit-by-pitches. He was signed by the Orioles to a minor league contract with an invite to Spring Training on December 30, 2023. The Bayamon, Puerto Rico native was originally selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the fifth round of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft, and later debuted in 2018 with the Tampa Bay Rays. He has played in 202 Major League games between the Rays, Pittsburgh Pirates, and New York Mets, slashing .179/.248/.306 (97-for-543) with 22 doubles, one triple, 15 home runs, 52 runs scored, 61 RBI, 47 walks, and four hit-by-pitches.
