Ethan Salas' breakout helped pave path for Padres' corresponding Nick Pivetta move

The Padres’ decision to DFA Blake Hunt could pass as a routine September transaction. But if you look a little closer, it showed just how quickly Ethan Salas changed the organization’s catching hierarchy.

San Diego had two separate spots to clear when it activated Nick Pivetta from the 60-day IL. Jhony Brito was optioned to Triple-A for the active-roster opening. Hunt was DFA’d to create room on the 40-man roster. 

It was a rough ending for Hunt, who did plenty to earn more consideration. He slashed .301/.381/.617 with 11 home runs and 32 RBI in 42 games for El Paso. He also played 552 Minor League games before finally debuting with the original organization that drafted him, only to receive three big-league at-bats with them.

The three strikeouts didn’t ruin his opportunity. The Padres simply ran out of reasons to keep a fourth catcher on the 40-man roster once Salas started looking like a legitimate option.

Blake Hunt became the casualty of Ethan Salas’ rapid rise

Salas’ breakout did the squeezing here. After slashing .286/.361/.417 across 72 Double-A games, the 20-year-old reached Triple-A and produced a .326/.410/.539 slash line in 24 games.

For a catcher his age, that was enough. It was the kind of performance that forces a front office to edit its depth chart. Salas restored his prospect stock, reached the majors and gave San Diego a left-handed bat with enough defensive polish to handle meaningful innings behind the plate. Unfortunately, Salas is still searching for his first major league hit after 10 at-bats. A little more patience may be required.

Freddy Fermin and Luis Campusano had already stabilized the major-league position. Salas then arrived as the long-term answer the Friars had envisioned since signing him at 16. Don’t forget Rodolfo Durán is still around. That made Hunt go from necessary insurance to the odd man out.

There was no serious baseball argument for delaying Pivetta to keep Hunt protected. The Padres were a half-game behind Arizona for the final NL Wild Card spot when Pivetta returned. After missing nearly five months with a flexor strain in his right elbow, he immediately delivered five scoreless innings in a 3-2 victory over Washington.

This is how contenders need to choose impact down the stretch. Pivetta can change the shape of a postseason rotation. Hunt was blocked by four catchers, including the organization’s most important young position player. Hoarding catching depth at the expense of an established starter would have been roster management just for the sake of roster management.

Hunt’s Triple-A production gives another club a legitimate reason to claim him. San Diego could lose a useful catcher after barely giving him a chance. But that wouldn’t make the decision wrong.

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