The Orioles announced that catcher Blake Hunt selected for assignment. The move opens up a list of right-handed users Andrew Kittredgewho has officially signed the annual agreement.
Hunt, 26, has yet to make his major league debut. Drafted by the Padres in 2017, went to the Rays as part of a December 2020 trade that brought Blake Snell to San Diego. He had emerged as a hot prospect before that deal but his stock plummeted after joining the Rays. In November 2023, instead of adding him to the reserve list out of the Rule 5 draft, the Rays traded him to the Mariners. The M’s offered him a roster spot but traded him to the Orioles in May Mike Baumann again Michael Pérez.
Through all of that work, Hunt has generally produced mediocre offensive numbers in the minors. Over the past four years, he has a combined batting line of .231/.302/.395, which translates to an 82 WRC+. That includes a .218/.273/.364 slash line and a 60 wRC+ in 2024.
After that performance, Hunt lost his roster spot. The Orioles will now have a week to figure out what’s next for him, whether that’s a trade or the end of the waiver wire. The stoppage process takes 48 hours, so any trade will have to settle in the next five days.
Despite his down season at the plate, it’s possible that some club will take a shot at him based on past pedigree. Going into 2021, FanGraphs has him listed just outside the top 100 of that year’s top prospects. His stock has dropped since then but he still has a few option years left, meaning he could be an interesting depth option for a club with a roster spot and a plan to get him back on track.
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