The Mariners announced this afternoon they’ve designated first baseman Mike Ford for assignment. The move clears a 40-man roster spot for catcher Luis Torrens, who has been reinstated from the COVID-19 injured list.
Seattle selected Ford when Torrens first went on the IL last Tuesday. Players on the COVID IL don’t count against the 40-man, so the M’s could bring Ford up to the majors. Evidently, Seattle wasn’t permitted to designate Ford as a “COVID substitute,” however. Therefore, they’ve had to designate him for assignment to open a 40-man spot for Torrens.
Under the 2022 health and safety protocols, the commissioner’s office has the sole discretion to determine whether a team has been sufficiently impacted by COVID to call up “substitute” players. If granted permission — as the A’s were earlier this season — the team can then return those substitutes back to Triple-A (and, if the substitute was not previously on the 40-man, off the roster entirely) without utilizing a minor league option or passing the player through waivers. If the commissioner’s office doesn’t feel the team is sufficiently affected by the virus to warrant designated substitutes, the team can still select new players onto the 40-man roster, but they’d have to be designated for assignment like everyone else in order to be taken off.
Ford will now be traded or placed on waivers within the next week. He didn’t get into an MLB game with Seattle, but he’d been off to a scorching .317/.404/.488 start over 11 appearances with their top affiliate in Tacoma. Presumably, the M’s will try to run him through waivers to outright him back to the Rainiers. Ford, who signed a minor league deal over the offseason, is a .199/.301/.422 hitter in 319 MLB plate appearances.
Torrens has started the season 3-13. He hit at a roughly league average level (.243/.299/.431 with 15 homers in 378 plate appearances) last season but didn’t rate favorably behind the dish. The M’s also have Cal Raleigh and Tom Murphy on the roster, and Torrens can serve as an occasional catcher, designated hitter and pinch-hitting option off the bench.
could’ve at least given him a PA
Headline:
“Ford Escape” or “Ford Traded-in”
Idk if he can afFord to be DFA’d again..
Like the Pinto, this is not one of Ford’s better ideas
Seems like just yesteday that Yankee fans wanted to trade this guy straight up for Wander
Feel better about yourself after making things up?
Yeah that didn’t pass the smell test for me either.
Y’all have a short term memory. Y’all were pitching Ford, Schmidt and Devi Garcia for Wander. Also, love the salt, please dont throw any trash at me.
BS bk
Ford? No… He has never been much of a prospect in Yankeeland. Heck he was taken then given back by the Mariners in the rule 5 a few years ago. He wasn’t even deemed worthy of a call up a few years back when the Yankees traded for another unknown AAA 1b in Voit. I can’t remember the last time Yankees fans hyped a 1b prospect. We overhype pitchers, catchers and speedy OF. Every fanbase is guilty of overvaluing their prospects. When you actually get to read articles about them in your local news of course you are going to value them more than another teams prospects who you have only heard of from Top 100 lists.
nobody said that
Said nobody ever
Mitch Haniger is the one I am anxiously looking forward to seeing back off the Covid IL.
I think it’s time for Mike “I could not even beat out an old, broken down Jay Bruce for a job” Ford to put that Princeton degree to good use
I love hot sauce and hot wings, but it burns on the way out.
As long as it doesn’t burn when you pee…. or so I’ve heard…
Have you DFA’d a Ford, lately?
Something tells me he’s gonna end up back in the Yankees’ system along with Greg Bird. Luke Voit will be along shortly after his IL stint in SD.
GME’s a better investment tham Ford anyways.
Back to ny ?
Cue the Jackson Five’s “Never Can Say Goodbye”
No thanks we already have enough players who strike out with risp and kill rallies by grounding into double plays.
Like anyone cares what the Yankers do.
When no one cares
And the phone never rings
The nights are endless things
Th DFA king!
If he signed a minor league deal and hasn’t played in the majors this year, why would he be on the 40 man major league roster and need to be DFA’d? Something’s not right there.
I think the article got updated after you posted this…. but it seems kind of ridiculous if the commissioner’s office can decide after the fact that a player can’t count as a COVID replacement. If a team calls a player up they ought to be fully aware of whether or not they would have to DFA the guy if they want to send him back down. Right now it seems like that possibility can be changed by the league office based on…. I’m not sure exactly.
Ford signed a minor league deal, was selected onto the 40-man last week but didn’t appear in a game, then was designated for assignment this afternoon.
The league determines whether the team can add a COVID substitute before the team makes the call, to be clear. Seattle knew before they selected Ford that he couldn’t be removed from the 40-man without being DFA; it just wasn’t clear to the public whether that was the case.
Gotcha. I think I read too much into it, but regardless thank you for the clarification Anthony.
Ah, thanks. So Seattle kind of burned him, for whatever reason. As good as France has been, guess they weren’t doing Ford any favors keeping him in AAA.
They added him to the 40 when called up. Whether he plays or not, it counts.
Ford recalls always count!
Next man up for the Mariners: Steve Chevrolet, replacing Mike Ford.
Jacksson:
Try harder!
How about Ivan “Chevy” Nova or Rueben “GMC” Sierra?
And, of course, Ichiro and Kurt “Suzuki”.
TOPEKA FREEDOM
I remember that Yankee fans were calling him the next Babe Ruth and wanted to trade him and Miguel Andujar + Deivi Garcia straight up for Jose Ramirez + Shane Bieber
Filed under: Things that never happened.
Nice lie
Perfect Pirate fodder. A dream come true. Bat behind his twin Dan Vogelbach. What a tag team
In all honesty bucs is a great place for him. As a team who is going to have a top 5 pick you have to grab these guys, see if they can get back on to trade them for prospect’s. Regardless if they are lotto ticket types or something more
Thanks but the Pirates already have Vogelbach and Tsutsugo. Nothing short of Matt Stairs returning to PNC is going to entice them to acquire another lefty hitting first baseman who looks like a rec league softball player… I hope.
Yeah zero chance the Buccos would get another lefty 1B bat who is abysmal at just about everything. Vogey atleast have something going for him with that .380 OBP and they paid Yoshi they won’t just give up on him for this bum. Why’s it as soon as someone gets DFA’d everyone claims the Orioles or Pirates want them lol.
Looked at some recent pictures of Mike Ford. When did he put that weight on? Wow!
Where the hell is Mitch?
Another Chris Carter at best. His best prospect for a career would’ve been to become another Adam Dunn- but the Adam Dunn type of player doesn’t have value anymore like they used to and they get figured out and exposed- kinda like Joey Gallo right now- except Gallo has defensive value.
You got it backwards. A TTO player is worth more now than ever before.
So long my brother! Probably won’t see him again but we’ll handle it!
Disappointing day for his family and pops, Disco Danny Ford
Another failed Yankees prospect