Minnesota Twins trade journeyman catcher Jhonny Pereda to Seattle Mariners
The Minnesota Twins announced they traded journeyman catcher Jhonny Pereda, whom Minnesota designated for assignment last week to clear space for catcher Victor Caratini, to the Seattle Mariners for cash considerations. The Mariners designated reliever Jackson Kowar as a corresponding move.
New Mariners catcher Jhonny Pereda raked in limited action with Twins last season
The Twins claimed Pereda off waivers from the Athletics in late July. He performed well in limited action with Minnesota, slashing .345/.387/.483 (139 OPS+) with four doubles and one RBI in 32 plate appearances across 11 games. He hit at an elite level for Triple-A St. Paul as well, slashing .294/.448/.500 with two homers, six doubles and 10 RBI in 87 plate appearances across 20 games.
With three other catchers on their 40-man roster (Caratini, Ryan Jeffers and Alex Jackson), the Twins no longer had room to keep Pereda. He played a vital role for Minnesota last year by providing innings at catcher when Jeffers and Christian Vázquez were sidelined with injuries.
Mariners will likely stash Jhonny Pereda in the minors for now
Catcher Andrew Knizer, whom Seattle signed to a one-year, $1 million deal earlier in the offseason, will likely be the Mariners' backup catcher behind Cal Raleigh. Pereda has a minor league option, so the Mariners can stash him in Triple-A and recall him if Raleigh or Knizer suffers an injury. The Mariners previously had highly regarded catching prospect Harry Ford, but they recently traded him to the Washington Nationals.
Before being claimed by the Twins, Pereda, 29, hit 175/.283/.225 (84 OPS+) with three RBI in 46 plate appearances across 19 games for the Athletics in 2025. He made his MLB debut in 2024, hitting .231/.250/.231 (35 OPS+) with four RBI in 40 plate appearances across 20 games with the Miami Marlins.
Pereda, a native of San Juan, Venezuela, signed a minor league deal with the Chicago Cubs in 2013. He stayed with the Cubs organization through the 2019 season before being traded to the Boston Red Sox. He became a free agent following the 2021 season, and he signed a minor league deal with the San Francisco Giants. He then signed a deal with the Cincinnati Reds, spending one season with the organization before signing with Miami for the 2024 season. Notably, Pereda has a career .296/.392/.419 slash line in 985 Triple-A plate appearances.