Seattle Mariners Trade Minor League Catcher For Baltimore Orioles' Reliever

The Seattle Mariners, thin in the bullpen right now, have acquired a major league bullpen arm from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for minor league catcher Blake Hunt.

May 5, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Mike Baumann (53) shakes hands with catcher Adley Rutschman (35) after the victory over the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports / Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports

The Seattle Mariners have made a trade to help their ailing bullpen, acquiring reliever Mike Baumann from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for minor league catcher Blake Hunt.

Jeff Passan of ESPN had the report on social media:

Trade news: The Seattle Mariners are acquiring right-handed reliever Mike Baumann from the Baltimore Orioles for catcher Blake Hunt, sources tell ESPN.

Baumann, DFA'd a few days back, has been a solid reliever for the last two seasons. Hunt, 25, is OPSing .905 at AAA this year.

Trade news: The Seattle Mariners are acquiring right-handed reliever Mike Baumann from the Baltimore Orioles for catcher Blake Hunt, sources tell ESPN.

Baumann, DFA'd a few days back, has been a solid reliever for the last two seasons. Hunt, 25, is OPSing .905 at AAA this year.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) May 23, 2024

There's actually a lot to digest with this trade, so let's just get the particulars on Baumann out of the way: He's 28 years old and under team control through 2028. He made his major league debut in 2021 and is 13-5 lifetime with a 4.45 ERA. However, he went 10-1 for the Orioles in 2023 with a 3.76 ERA over 60 games. He was 1-0 this year in Baltimore with a 3.44.

Here's what this deal means on multiple fronts:

1) The Mariners clearly know they need bullpen help:

This is obvious to everyone. In the absence of Matt Brash and Gregory Santos, the M's bullpen isn't as deep as it has been over the last few years. Andres Munoz has been electric with his 10 saves, but Trent Thornton, Ryne Stanek and Gabe Speier all have questions of varying degrees. Austin Voth gave up a two-run homer in Tuesday's loss as well.

2) This seems like a steep price to pay:

While Hunt is 25, he's under team control for a full six years and has produced at the minor league level. For a team generally bereft of offense, getting rid of guys who can hit is always questionable.

3) What does this mean for Seby Zavala?

Does this mean that the M's are committed to Seby Zavala as the backup catcher? He has only 32 at-bats this season and is hitting just .188, so the first thought from most fans might have been to call up Hunt to replace Zavala, but instead the team has moved on from him completely.

4) What does this mean for Harry Ford?

Ford is the M's No. 3 prospect currently and a member of both the Top 100 prospect lists on both MLB.com and Baseball America. He's hitting .275 at Double-A right now and while it feels too early to bring him up to the big league level, there is one obstacle (Hunt) removed from his path to the big leagues. Could he be an option to replace Zavala later in the season?

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