The Padres acquired catcher Rob Johnson from the Mariners for a player to be named later or cash considerations, according to the team.  Johnson had been designated for assignment on December 13th to create a spot for Jack Cust.  He’ll serve as Nick Hundley‘s backup in San Diego, presumably.  The Padres now have 38 players on their 40-man roster.

Johnson, 27, has a .200/.282/.302 line in parts of four seasons with the Mariners.  Last offseason, he underwent labrum surgery on both hips and had left wrist surgery. Johnson appeared in 61 games in 2010, batting .191/.293/.281 in 209 plate appearances. He threw out 35% of would-be base stealers, a career high (he has a 30% career mark).  In their 2009 Handbook, Baseball America called Johnson the best defensive catcher in the Mariners’ farm system.

Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post.