Mike Ford Exercises Opt-Out In Mariners Deal

First baseman Mike Ford has exercised an opt-out clause in his minor league deal with the Mariners, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. The club will now have 48 hours to add him to their roster or else he will become a free agent. June 1 is a popular date for opt-outs on minor league deals, with four other players triggering clauses earlier today.

Ford, 30, signed a minor league deal with the Mariners over the winter and has spent all of 2023 in Triple-A so far. He has been absolutely crushing the ball for the Rainiers, having hit 13 home runs in 49 games. He’s walked in 16.1% of his plate appearances while striking out in only 14.2% of them. Although the club plays in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, his huge .302/.427/.605 batting line amounts to a wRC+ of 143, indicating he’s been 43% better than league average.

With that excellent performance, it’s hardly a shock that he’s willing to return to the open market. The Mariners have a couple of days to decide whether to give him a shot, but doing so would be somewhat complicated. For one thing, Ford is out of options, meaning he would need to be added to the active roster.

He is also limited to first base and designated hitter at this point in his career, which gives the club fewer opportunities for slotting him into the lineup. Ty France has played first base for the vast majority of Seattle’s games this year, hitting a solid .262/.338/.407 for a wRC+ of 114. The designated hitter slot has been a rotation, often used to get one of the club’s many outfielders into the lineup. With Julio Rodríguez, Jarred Kelenic, Teoscar Hernández, AJ Pollock and Taylor Trammell all in the mix, that’s five guys for four spots.

It’s also no guarantee that Ford would be able to bring his Triple-A success to the majors, as he’s often tantalized with strong results on the farm but struggled in the big leagues. In 365 Triple-A contests for his career, he has 74 home runs and a .263/.363/.493 batting line. In 151 major league games, he has 20 home runs but an overall line of just .201/.301/.387. The Mariners could give him another shot at big league pitching, but doing so would likely squeeze out someone like Pollock or Trammell. It’s possible that could lead to an offensive boost but would also come with diminished defensive flexibility.

If the M’s don’t give Ford a roster spot, he will see if there are better opportunities for him elsewhere. He would be competing with other first basemen like Luke Voit and Jesús Aguilar, who were each recently designated for assignment and likely to end up released. Those players have longer major league track records than Ford but he can at least point to strong results this year, unlike them. Ford also has just over two years of major league service time, meaning he could be cheaply retained for future seasons via arbitration if he finally breaks out.