With Cal Raleigh at catcher for the foreseeable future with the Seattle Mariners, there was no path to playing time for top prospect Harry Ford at the Major League level. 

The Mariners made a deal with a rebuilding club, sending Ford and right-hander Isaac Lyon to the Washington Nationals in exchange for left-handed reliever Jose A. Ferrer. 

Ferrer is now in the bullpen mix for Mariners manager Dan Wilson, and he throws a heavy dose of sinkers and adds in a changeup and slider. 

Bleacher Report’s Tim Kelly labeled the 26-year-old from the Dominican Republic as Seattle’s “best-kept secret” for the 2026 season. 

Why Ferrer is Mariners’ best-kept secret 

“The 4.48 FIP that Ferrer posted across 72 games for the Nats in 2025 doesn’t stand out, though both his 3.56 expected ERA and 3.03 FIP suggest he was much better than his back-of-the-baseball-card stats might make you think,” Kelly wrote Saturday. 

In four appearances this season, Ferrer has allowed two earned runs on seven hits, striking out three with no walks. His first three relief outings of the year were scoreless. 

Ford began the season at Triple-A for the Nationals, and he is far too talented to keep as a backup catcher behind Raleigh. Seattle made a pivot and managed to acquire a talented southpaw in the process. 

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