Mariners Lose Backstop to Astros in Free Agency After 8-Year Stint

Will we ever see this 26-year-old in the majors?

Apr 27, 2024; Mexico City, Mexico; A large Houston Astros helmet at the MLB World Tour Mexico Series game at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helu. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros are beginning to form a fierce rivalry at the major league level.

After seizing control of the American League West in 2025, the Mariners are looking to put their foot on the gas pedal and claim the division as their own for the long haul. Meanwhile, the Astros, who ruled the division from 2017 to 2024, are looking to prove their one-year absence from the playoffs was a blip on the radar.

Though it could change nothing about the standings for this coming season, the Astros picked up a longtime Mariners farmhand at a position where Seattle is significantly better than Houston.

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Freuddy Batista signs with Astros

Mar 5, 2024; Peoria, Arizona, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Freuddy Batista against the Texas Rangers during a spring training baseball game at Peoria Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports | Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

According to the transactions log on his official roster page, 26-year-old catcher Freuddy Batista signed a minor-league contract with the Astros on Jan. 16. That transaction did not appear on the log for at least a week, which is all too common at this time of year.

Batista signed with the Mariners as a 17-year-old out of the Dominican Republic in 2017. He played 445 games in the organization, and for the most part, his offensive numbers were quite solid for a catcher, even it took him a long time to rise through the minors.

Batista started rookie ball in 2017, but he didn't debut in Low-A until 2021. Four years after that, he only has 14 games on his resume at the Double-A level and has yet to debut in Triple-A.

However, Batista has a solid .258/.338/.441 slash line in the minors to this point, popping 54 home runs and driving in 261 RBIs. The next step is to prove he can maintain that production against the better pitching he'll see at Double-A and Triple-A.

It would be hard for the Mariners to sweat the loss of any minor-league catcher when they've got Most Valuable Player runner-up Cal Raleigh on the roster. But the Astros, who haven't gotten what they'd hoped for from Yainer Díaz at catcher of late, would love to see Batista's bat play well at the upper levels of the minors.

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