Mariners re-acquire former trade acquisition in deal with Orioles

After seemingly doing little for most of the offseason, the Seattle Mariners have undertaken a flurry of activity in the past week, albeit none of the moves have been exactly eye-catching. This sadly remains the case for fans, despite the club making another acquisition on Wednesday.

The Mariners have acquired Blake Hunt from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for cash considerations. As a knock-on effect of the move, Samad Taylor has been designated for assignment to make room for the catcher and keep the Major League roster at the 40-player maximum.

Blake Hunt reunites with Mariners in trade with Orioles

Fans will have some familiarity with Hunt, who was previously with the Mariners organization. They originally acquired the 26-year-old from the Tampa Bay Rays back in November 2023, and then traded him to the Orioles in May of last year.

Hunt showed some promise during his time with the Mariners last season, with him playing 24 games in Triple-A Tacoma. In that time he produced four home runs and 20 RBI, as part of a .293/.372/.533 slash line and .905 OPS.

The fact the Mariners have brought Hunt back alludes to them having some hope for him, and understandably so. While he has yet to justify being selected in the second round of the 2017 MLB Draft by the San Diego Padres, there is some untapped potential there for a player who is big and has a strong arm.

Samad Taylor's days numbered with the Mariners?

As for Taylor, the Mariners acquired him effectively 12 months ago from the Kansas City Royals. Among his key traits are his speed and athleticism, which has allowed the M's organization to play him all over the field at every position except first base.

The 26-year-old has 34 games of Major League experience to date, including three with the Mariners last season. In spent the majority of 2024 in Triple-A Tacoma, where he hit 11 bombs and 75 RBI on his way to a .262/.352/.380 slash line and .732 OPS in 136 games (and he also stole 50 bases).

It is entirely conceivable that he could end up moving to another club, but the M's might be hoping he clears waivers so he can return to Triple-A.

Recent Posts