Mariners acquire Baumann from Orioles for catching prospect

The Seattle Mariners acquired reliever Mike Baumann and catcher Michael Pérez from the Baltimore Orioles for minor-league catcher Blake Hunt, the team announced Wednesday.

The Orioles designated Baumann for assignment Saturday to make room for Grayson Rodriguez upon his return from the IL.

Baumann has posted a 3.44 ERA and 1.47 WHIP across 18 1/3 innings in 2024. He should help bolster the Mariners' struggling bullpen.

Pérez has appeared in parts of six MLB seasons but didn't play a game in the majors with Baltimore this year. The 30-year-old owns a career 52 OPS+.

Hunt, 25, has posted an impressive .293/.372/.533 slash line over 23 games at Triple-A. He'll provide the Orioles with organizational catching depth behind Adley Rutschman and James McCann.