The Mariners Also Acquired Another Catcher in Deal That Brought Them Relief Help

The Seattle Mariners acquired reliever Mike Baumann in a trade on Wednesday night, but the deal is for more than originally reported.

Mar 11, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Baltimore Orioles catcher Michael Perez (63) hits a RBI single during the second inning against the New York Yankees at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports / Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

On Wednesday night, the Seattle Mariners made a trade with the Baltimore Orioles, acquiring veteran reliever Mike Baumann for minor league catcher Blake Hunt.

The deal was originally reported by Jeff Passan of ESPN as just that, but it turns out that the M's got more by acquiring another minor league catcher, Michael Perez, as well.

The team announced the official deal on social media:

We’ve acquired RHP Mike Baumann and minor league C Michael Pérez from the Orioles in exchange for C Blake Hunt. #TridentsUp

We’ve acquired RHP Mike Baumann and minor league C Michael Pérez from the Orioles in exchange for C Blake Hunt. #TridentsUp

🔗 https://t.co/oZuCflqvt2 pic.twitter.com/5KadbuYZlN

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) May 23, 2024

Perez is 31-years-old and was hitting .215 at Triple-A for Baltimore. He has two homers and 13 RBI thus far this season while sporting a .287 on-base percentage.

Perez has appeared in the big leagues before, getting action in parts of six seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays, Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Mets. He is a lifetime .179 hitter in the big leagues with 15 home runs. His most productive season came in 2021 when he hit seven homers for the Pirates.

Baumann is undoubtedly the big part of this deal, as the M's need relief help in the absence of Gregory Santos and Matt Brash, but it is nice to at least keep the catcher depth in the organization. Perez is not likely to move the needle for fans though, as Hunt is younger and owns a much better offensive profile.

Cal Raleigh will continue to receive nearly all the playing time at catcher for the Mariners, so the backup catcher spot shouldn't be much of an issue - as long as he remains healthy.

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