The Rays have previously expressed interest in the Mariners taking a chance Harry Fordaccording to Adam Jude of the Seattle Times. There is no indication that Tampa’s interest in the youngster is current or that there are ongoing trade talks between the two clubs.
Ford, who turns 22 in February, was Seattle’s first-round pick in the 2021 draft and is a consensus top-50 prospect in the game. He has been able to hit well at every level of the minors since his professional debut with a .291/.400/.582 slash line in 19 games of rookie ball shortly after being drafted. He jumped to full-season ball in 2022 and found success there, slashing .274/.425/.438 at the Single-A level in 2023 before posting a nearly identical .257/.410/.430 line in High-A the following year . In both of his stops in A ball, Ford has floated a walk rate north of 17% while flashing 10 to 15 homer power. Most interestingly, he showed very impressive grip wheels and flashed 25 speeds on underground roads.
The youngster hit his first real roadblock in 2024 when he reached the Double-A level. In his age-21 campaign this past year, Ford hit a solid but unspectacular .249/.377/.367, which was good for a 119 wRC+ at the level. Ford’s 14.1% walk rate remained impressive and he reached a new high in bases with 35 steals, but his power cratered as he hit just seven homers in 523 trips to the plate. Even that down season was still above average for his league, however, and that’s all the more impressive given that Ford is one of five professional hitters in the Double-A Texas League who played the 2024 season 21 years or younger.
While Ford’s bat is highly regarded, there are questions about whether he will be able to stick behind the plate. The Ford athlete has been highly praised, but he is a below-average outfielder behind the plate at the moment which has led some to suggest he could follow in his footsteps. Daulton Varshowho was also a shortstop and a quick hitter in the minor leagues but moved out early in his big league career. For now, however, the Mariners seem poised to continue improving his skills behind the plate.
Given the Rays’ interest in Ford, it seems they also believe in his ability to stay behind the plate. Tampa’s needs behind the plate going into the offseason were well known as they not only lacked a clear reliever Ben Rortvedt at the major league level in 2025 but they also have no hopes of catching a certain note coming through their program. A look at MLB.com’s Top 30 Rays prospect list reveals just two catchers: the catcher Dominic Keegan he is ranked 13th, and he is 19 years old JD Gonzalez ranked 27th despite hitting just .161/.268/.198 in his first taste of stateside baseball this past season.
Trading a deal with Ford will do nothing to improve the club’s shortstop situation given the fact that he has yet to reach the Triple-A level and is still considered too raw behind the plate defensively. That being said, the Rays have already addressed their immediate need in signings Danny Jansen a one-year contract, put him ahead of Rortvedt in taking over the reins of the club. That leaves the club well positioned behind the plate for 2025, but those questions will resurface when Jansen leaves in free agency a year from now. Adding a top catching prospect like Ford who has been away from the majors for a year would make sense for the Rays and, in turn, allow Jansen to serve as a bridge to the future of the position this year.
Even if Ford still makes sense as a possible trade option for the Rays, however, it’s worth wondering how likely a merger deal is even if Tampa remains interested in the young catcher. The Mariners are widely known to be in the market for infield help this winter, having previously spoken to the Cubs and Phillies about Nico Hoerner again Alec Bohm. Those conversations didn’t seem to gain much traction, leading to a look at the Rays infield Yandy Diaz or Brandon Lowe at least in theory it could happen in Seattle.
That being said, Diaz and Lowe will be important cogs in a Rays lineup that struggled to generate runs last year, and without a clear need to take a pay cut after the deal. Jeffrey Springs The A’s are still unclear as to which player will be available this winter. Perhaps a deal could be worked out involving the Rays outfielder who has yet to be established as a player Jonathan Aranda, Curtis Meador Osleivis Be afraidbut it’s unclear if the Mariners would be interested in adding that type of youngster or if they’re more focused on veteran players with major league hitting records.
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