San Diego, CA – The San Diego Padres acquired catcher John Baker from the Miami Marlins in exchange for pitcher Wade LeBlanc on Tuesday.
"We believe John fits well into our catching situation," Padres general manager Josh 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 missed all but 16 games in 2011 after undergoing surgery on his right elbow in the offseason. He is a career .271 hitter with 14 homers, 42 doubles and 89 RBI in 212 games over the last four seasons with the Marlins.
LeBlanc went 5-6 with a 4.63 earned run average in 14 starts for San Diego last season. The 27-year-old Alabama product was 17-22 with a 4.54 ERA in 54 games (52 starts) with the Padres since 2008.
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