The Seattle Mariners are acquiring pitcher Jose Ferrer from the Washington Nationals in exchange for catcher Harry Ford and pitcher Isaac Lyon, per reports from yesterday.
This is the second year in a row where the Nationals have traded a young, controllable, but unheralded lefty reliever with a 4+ ERA but quality peripherals. Last year, the Nats traded Robert Garcia, who had put up a 4.22 ERA but 2.38 FIP and 2.53 xERA in 72 games in 2024, to the Rangers in exchange for Nathaniel Lowe. Ferrer, meanwhile, put up a 4.48 ERA but a 3.03 FIP and 3.60 xERA in 72 games in 2025. Garcia had five years of team control remaining, while Ferrer has four years of team control remaining.
Last year the Nats got Nathaniel Lowe for Garcia. That seemed like a good deal at the time for the Rangers, since Lowe had been rumored to be a non-tendered candidate, and was just two years away from free agency. The Nats ended up releasing Lowe before the 2025 season was up, and he is now a free agent after having been non-tendered by Boston, who picked him up after Washington released him.
The Mariners, on the other hand, gave up their 2021 first round pick, Harry Ford, a catcher who has been a consensus top 100 prospect the last few seasons. At first blush, it seems like a steep price to pay for a solid but not elite reliever.
Ford, though, has seen his star fall of late. A disappointing 2024 season in the Texas League saw him drop from a consensus top 50 guy to more of a fringe top 100 prospect coming into the 2025 season. He rebounded with a nice season for Tacoma in the PCL, but there continue to be questions about his defense and his ability to hit for power.
Also, as you may have heard, the Mariners have a pretty good catcher right now. Guy named Cal Raleigh. Hits some home runs. Is under team control through 2031. As a result, even if Ford is able to develop into a starting caliber catcher — which is up in the air — he’s not going to have an opportunity to claim that role in Seattle.
Washington also has a catcher under team control into the 2030s, in Keibert Ruiz, who was the prize of the 2021 trade deadline deal that fetched the Los Angeles Dodgers Max Scherzer and Trea Turner. The Nats signed Ruiz to an 8 year, $50 million deal for 2023-30 with team options for 2031 and 2032. However, Ruiz has stopped hitting — in the past two seasons he has slashed .235/.266/.345, good for a 72 OPS+. Ruiz split time with Riley Adams, a 29 year old journeyman who slashed .186/.252/.308 in 2025 in 286 plate appearances, while posting a remarkable 18/110 BB/K rate.
So the Nationals, who are rebuilding, have the ability to see what Ford can do, if he can be a regular or semi-regular catcher, and if he can’t, see if he can hit enough to play some other position. It still seems like a steep price for the M’s to pay, but c’est la vie.