Padres, Orioles swap Nick Hundley for Troy Patton

The Baltimore Orioles have acquired Nick Hundley and cash considerations from the San Diego Padres in exchange for left-handed reliever Troy Patton, according to a team announcement. The Orioles have been rumored to be looking for a right-handed hitting catcher for weeks, and Patton's name has been mentioned as a possible trade candidate as well.

Hundley, 30, has been the subject of trade rumors all season due to the emergence of Yasmani Grandal and Rene Rivera as the two primary catchers for the Padres. He has appeared in 33 games so far this season, hitting .271 with 1 HR and 3 RBI in 59 at-bats, and will immediately become part of a platoon at catcher for the Orioles along with Steve Clevenger. Hundley is owed $4M this season, so the cash heading to Baltimore will help them pay what is remaining on that tab.

The O's had been relying on Caleb Joseph due to Matt Wieters' injury, but appear to have upgraded by adding Hundley to pair with Clevenger during Wieters' absence. League sources have indicated that the Orioles have been shopping Joseph and minor league catcher Brian Ward in trade talks in recent weeks, so the addition of Hundley would seem to make a deal involving an Orioles' catcher more likely. The team is now carrying five catchers on the 40-man roster (Wieters, Hundley, Clevenger, Joseph and Michael Ohlman), which is more than almost all major league teams carry at any given time.

Patton, 28, has struggled in nine appearances this season, allowing six earned runs in 6.2 innings for an ERA of 8.10. The southpaw missed the first 25 games of the season after testing positive for amphetamines in December. and has had trouble adjusting after going 2-0 with a 3.70 ERA in 56 innings last season. He will join left-hander Alex Torres in a Padres' bullpen that currently ranks second in the majors with a combined 2.17 ERA.