The Mariners optioned Hunt to Triple-A Tacoma on Saturday, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.
Hunt entered spring camp as the fourth catcher on Seattle's 40-man roster, immediately making it unlikely the 25-year-old would break camp with the MLB squad. He performed well upon arriving at Triple-A for the first time last season, slashing .261/.315/.513 across 127 plate appearances. If Hunt gets hot at the plate again this season or the Mariners run into depth issues behind the dish, Hunt may have a shot at making his MLB debut this year.
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Mariners' Blake Hunt: Moved to Seattle
Rotowire
The Mariners acquired Hunt from the Rays on Monday in exchange for catcher Tatem Levins, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
The two organizations are swapping minor-league catchers in the deal, though Hunt will get a spot on the Mariners' 40-man roster while Levins serves as depth in the lower levels of Tampa Bay's system. Hunt will turn 25 later this month and is coming off a 2023 campaign in which he slashed .256/.331/.484 with 12 home runs over 282 plate appearances between Triple-A Durham and Double-A Montgomery.
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Rays' Blake Hunt: Set to be traded
Rotowire
Hunt is set to be traded from the Padres to the Rays in exchange for left-hander Blake Snell, pending a review of medical records, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.
Hunt has yet to play above the Low-A level, but he spent the final month of the 2020 season at the Padres' alternate training site. The catcher has played well in the lower levels of the minors, slashing .255/.331/.381 with five home runs and 39 RBI over 89 games with Low-A Fort Wayne in 2019. He'll now continue his development within the Rays' organization.
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Padres' Blake Hunt: Joins player pool
Rotowire
Hunt has been added to the Padres' 60-man player pool, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
The Padres took the backstop with the 69th pick in the 2017 draft and now he will get an opportunity to showcase his skills at the team's alternate training site at the University of San Diego. Hunt, however, is very unlikely to make his major-league debut this season.
