The Padres signed a catcher Blake Hunt to a minor league contract, as noted in the career tracker on Hunt’s MLB.com profile page. Hunt’s deal was first reported by MadFriars earlier this month.
Hunt, 27, was selected by the Padres in the second round in 2017. He was part of the group. Blake Snell trade during the 2020-21 offseason and spent several years moving up through the Rays’ minor league system. Hunt hit extremely well in the Rays’ Double- and Triple-A affiliates in 2023, slashing a combined .256/.331/.484 with 12 homers in 67 games, but ultimately was not added to the club’s 40-man roster during the 2023-24 season and minor free agency. That led the Rays to deal Hunt to the Mariners, who put him back on the 40-man roster and are willing to waive the minor leaguer. Tatem Levins to do so.
After making the jump to Seattle, Hunt hit extremely well in the first month of the season at Triple-A with a .293/.372/.533 slash line in 24 games. That was a strong enough performance that the Orioles decided to take a chance on him and acquired him from Seattle in a deal that sent Michael Baumann to the Mariners in May 2024. He was called up to the majors in July 2024 but did not make his major league debut before being selected for assignment by Baltimore. He stayed with the Orioles until the end of the year in the minor leagues but hit just .179/.219/.278 in 42 games with the Triple-A club in Norfolk.
During the 2024-25 season, the Mariners reacquired Hunt and hid him at the minor league level as he was deep behind their big league. Raleigh again Mitch Garver. Raleigh, of course, went on to have an MVP-caliber season in 2025 as he broke the single-season home run record by a catcher. That left little room for Hunt to make it in the majors this past year, but his minor league streak was able to bounce back after a rough year in Baltimore. In 62 games this year, Hunt hit .272/.368/.452. That slash line is inflated due to the offensive nature of the Pacific Coast League, where Seattle’s Tacoma affiliate plays, but Hunt’s performance was still good at an above-average 108 wRC+.
After the 2025 campaign, Hunt became a major league free agent and entered the market as an exciting, first-round depth option for a club in need of catching. Now he’s found a home with his first professional organization and figures to be a top depth option with Triple-A El Paso heading into 2026. The Padres have a weak catching tandem as things stand, as Freddy Fermin the best profiles as a part time player Luis Campusano Stats will serve as the club’s backup right now after getting just 27 plate appearances at the big league level last year. That leaves the path open for Hunt to force his way onto the MLB roster and possibly make his major league debut after years of preparing to do so. If the Padres don’t make any more additions behind the plate, it’s easy to imagine Hunt challenging Campusano for the job of backing up Fermin this spring as a top long-term prospect. Ethan Salas he may still be years away from his big league debut.
