Padres Catcher Nearly Retired a Few Years Ago

The San Diego Padres recently made a roster move amid catcher Freddy Fermin suffering a concussion.

Fermin was placed on the 7-day injured list to make sure that the issue wouldn't linger, much like infielder Jake Cronenworth's has over the last month-plus. The Padres also remain without catcher Luis Campusano, who's been out due to a toe injury.

With the team placing Fermin on the injured list, they called up Blake Hunt from Triple-A El Paso. Hunt has never played in the big leagues, and this call-up is his chance to make his mark, even on a likely limited time.

Hunt has had a long road to get to the big leagues, and revealed that he almost retired from baseball a few years ago when reaching the big leagues seed like a pipe dream.

“At this point in my career, I just kind of treat everything as house money,” Hunt said to the San Diego Union-Tribune. “A few years ago — just struggling in Double-A, repeating levels — I was just contemplating what’s next in life. And I did some mental work on the outside with my agency and someone they have. And I just kind of redefined what my career was to me and what success looked like. It just changed my overall outlook and attitude.

"So it’s house money. I’m just enjoying being here and competing. The last couple years it has been at the Triple-A level. But this is an opportunity here, and I’m just happy to have it.”

Before the call-up, Hunt had hit .269 with one home run and five runs batted in, while posting an OPS of .837 at Triple-A. Hunt was only at the Triple-A level for eight games before the Padres called him to the big leagues.

San Diego selected Hunt with the No. 69 pick in the 2017 MLB Draft, quickly signing him to a $1.6 million deal. The Padres were impressed by his arm strength, as well as his ability to frame pitches at the plate.

The Padres then traded Hunt in 2020 to the Tampa Bay Rays in the blockbuster deal that brought Blake Snell to San Diego. He struggled with Tampa Bay, and was again traded, this time to the Seattle Mariners in 2023.

In May 2024, Hunt was traded for a third time, this one to the Baltimore Orioles. He was then traded back to the Mariners ahead of the 2025 season, and was there until becoming a free agent at the end of the year.

That's when he returned to the Padres, where he's now set to get his first MLB opportunity. For now, he is just trying to make the most of this current opportunity, soaking in everything he can while he's at the big league level.

He seems to have a great mindset right now, putting his former plan of retirement behind him.

“Enjoying the game and playing like a kid again," Hunt said.

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