San Diego Padres acquire catcher John Baker from Miami

SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego Padres today announced they have acquired catcher John Baker from the Miami Marlins in exchange for left-handed pitcher Wade LeBlanc.  Executive Vice President/General Manager Josh Byrnes made the announcement.

In 212 Major League games with the Marlins (2008-2011), the 30-year-old Baker has a career average of .271 (179-for-661) with 42 doubles, one triple, 14 home runs, 89 RBI and 82 walks.   Baker missed most of the 2011 season after undergoing right elbow surgery September 3, 2010. He played in 16 games for the Marlins in ‘11, going 2-for-13 with a triple and one RBI after joining the Major League team in September. 

“We believe John fits well into our catching situation,” Byrnes said.  “As a left-handed hitter with a good history of getting on base, he will provide us with depth and will help balance the roster from a left-right perspective.”

Baker graduated from De La Salle High School in Concord, Calif., in 1999 before attending the University of California, Berkeley. As a junior in 2002, he led the Pac-10 with a .383 batting average and was selected to the All Pac-10 team.  He was originally drafted by the Oakland A’s in the fourth round of Major League Baseball’s 2002 First-Year Player Draft.

LeBlanc, 27, split the 2011 season between San Diego and Triple-A Tucson.  In 14 starts this year with San Diego, he was 5-6 with a 4.63 ERA (41 ER/79.2 IP), 51 strikeouts and 28 walks.  In 17 starts for Tucson, he was 9-1 with a 4.30 ERA (51 ER/106.2 IP) and 92 strikeouts against 28 walks.  Originally signed as a second-round selection by the Padres in the 2006 First-Year Player Draft, LeBlanc was 17-22 with a 4.54 ERA (148 ER/293.1 IP) in 54 career games, 52 starts, over parts of four Major League seasons with the Padres (2008-11).