Seattle Mariners trade for Jhonny Pereda to add to their catching depth
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The Seattle Mariners have acquired 29-year-old catcher Jhonny Pereda from the Minnesota Twins for cash considerations. The veteran is expected to provide depth behind the dish at the minor league level, with an opportunity to contribute to the big club in 2026.
In 2025, Pereda hit .246, with no home runs and four RBI. Over his entire MLB career through 2025, he holds a career batting average of .241, with zero homers and eight RBI. In 50 MLB games, he's posted a .595 OPS.
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For the well-traveled Pereda, the Mariners will be his eighth organization. The backup back-stop has spent time with the Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants, Cincinnati Reds, Miami Marlins, Oakland/Sacramento Athletics, and Minnesota Twins in his MLB tenure.
Seattle should be set at catcher
The Mariners have baseball's best all-around catcher in Cal Raleigh, who hit 60 home runs in 2025 and was a Platinum Award winner the previous year. He can do it all, and he's one of the Mariners' leaders in the locker room. At just 29, he's also going to be around for a while, too. Big Dumper signed a six-year, $105 million contract extension through 2030, with a no-trade clause and a vesting option for 2031.
For now, newly-signed Andrew Knizner will be Raleigh's back-up. The veteran signed with the Mariners this offseason, but the team has a promising prospect waiting in the wings. Luke Stevenson is being groomed to take over at catcher as Raleigh gets older and starts to play other positions to prolong his career.
So, Pereda may not make it onto the field at T-Mobile Park this year, but extra bodies are always being acquired at this point in the offseason. For now, the veteran has been designated for assignment.
