The Rays have previously expressed interest in Mariners catching prospect Harry Ford, according to Adam Jude of The Seattle Times. There is no indication that Tampa’s interest in the youngster is current or that there are any ongoing trade negotiations between the two clubs.
Ford, 22 in February, was Seattle’s first-round pick in the 2021 draft and is a consensus top-50 prospect in the game. He’s managed to hit well at every level of the minors he’s been exposed to from the moment he kicked off his pro career with a .291/.400/.582 slash line in 19 rookie ball games shortly after being drafted. He made the jump to full season ball in 2022 and found success there as well, slashing .274/.425/.438 at the Single-A level in 2023 before posting a nearly identical .257/.410/.430 slash line at High-A the following year. During both of his stops in A-ball, Ford floated walk rates north of 17% while while flashing 10-to-15 homer power. Most interestingly, he showed off very impressive wheels for a catcher and flashed 25-steal speed on the basepaths.
The youngster hit his first real roadblock in 2024 upon reaching 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 new heights on the bases with 35 steals, but his power output cratered as he swatted just seven homers in 523 trips to the plate. Even that relative down season was still noticeably above average relative to his league, however, and that feat is all the more impressive given the fact that Ford was one of just five qualified hitters in the Double-A Texas League who played the 2024 season at age-21 or younger.
While Ford’s bat is generally very well regarded, there are some questions about whether or not he’ll be able to stick behind the plate. Ford’s athleticism has drawn plenty of praise, but he’s a well below average fielder behind the plate at the moment which has led some to suggest he might follow in the footsteps of Daulton Varsho, who was also an athletic and speedy catching prospect through the minor leagues but moved to the outfield early in his big league career. For the time being, however, the Mariners appear poised to continue developing his skills behind the plate.
Given the Rays’ interest in Ford, it seems likely they too believe in his ability to stick behind the plate. Tampa’s needs behind the plate entering the offseason were well-known as they not only lacked a clear complement to Ben Rortvedt at the big league level for 2025 but also have no catching prospects of particular note currently coming through their pipeline. A look at MLB.com’s Top 30 Rays prospects list reveals just two catchers: catching convert Dominic Keegan ranks 13th, while 19-year-old J.D. Gonzalez ranks 27th despite having hit just .161/.268/.198 in his first taste of stateside baseball this past season.
Swinging a deal for Ford would do little to improve the club’s short-term catching situation given the fact that he’s not yet reached the Triple-A level and is still considered very raw behind the plate defensively. With that being said, the Rays already addressed their immediate need at catcher by signing Danny Jansen to a one-year deal, slotting him in ahead of Rortvedt in the club’s catching tandem. That leaves the club fairly set behind the plate for 2025, but those questions figure to come up once again when Jansen departs for free agency a year from now. Adding a top catching prospect like Ford who’s around a year away from the majors would make some sense for the Rays, then, allowing Jansen to serve as a bridge to the future of the position this year.
Even as Ford still makes sense as a potential trade target for the Rays, however, it’s fair to wonder how likely a deal coming together is even if Tampa remains interested in the young catcher. The Mariners are well known to be in the market for infield help this winter, having previously spoken to the Cubs and Phillies about Nico Hoerner and Alec Bohm. Those talks haven’t appeared to gain much traction, which makes pivoting to a Rays infielder like Yandy Díaz or Brandon Lowe at least theoretically feasible for Seattle.
With that being said, Diaz and Lowe figure to be key cogs in a Rays lineup that struggled to create runs last year, and with no apparent need to cut payroll further after dealing Jeffrey Springs to the A’s it’s unclear whether either player would even be available this winter. Perhaps a deal could be worked out involving a less-established Rays infielder like Jonathan Aranda, Curtis Mead, or Osleivis Basabe, but it’s unclear whether the Mariners would be interested in adding a youngster of that variety or are more focused on established players with a big league track record.
I too, am interested in Indiana Jones.
Second!
Dark side of the force
With your user name, I expected you to say that you were interested in Han Solo!
As in…. Harrison….Ford?
As in, Harry Ford Sings the Blues
I thought it was Whitey Ford who sang the blues…
How about Henry Ford?
Henry Ford should be available at the Rays comp pick or even their second round pick.
Depends on how you like your American fascist oligarchs/industrialists.
They say between seasons he roams Europe, grabbing people by the collar and demanding to know of his wife’s whereabouts and he’s known to lobby Congress about the scam that is… Provasic!
Anyone seen a one-armed man?
Yes, I have! He was at the last Def Leopard concert, playing the drums….
You guys are hitting on all cylinders tonight! Like everyone sitting around the same dive bar
You mean Henry Ford
He pitched for Anaheim.
But was not paid by Abbott Pharmaceuticals
Devlin McGregor! He faked all the samples!
You changed the samples, didn’t you? You switched the samples!!!
..I know.
Get off my plane!!
Don’t get cocky, kid!
I’m in it for the money
Diaz/Lowe for Ford/Arroyo/Locklear then trade Castillo and Young for Mayo…
Absolutely ridiculous to think the mariners would offer, entertain or accept that trade
They both make perfect sense Ford has no future with the mariners and Arroyo and Locklear don’t really either
Did you just say a first baseman and a middle infielder don’t have a future with the mariners? And your solution to this problem is to trade them for…. Wait for it….. a first baseman and a middle infielder lol
Put yourself in timeout before you post again
Gotta believe Arroyo will prove how little you know.
Yandy diaz is career .205 hitter at T-Mobile you bucket of hot dog water that’s not contributing now is it? Guess you don’t know as much as you think and I know more than you think kinda sounds like you don’t know a lot about this don’t it?
Are you F-ing serious? You using Yandy’s lifetime 13g played in Seattle against the M’s pitching staff as a reason to prove Yandi isn’t worth it?
You literally say none of them can help in the future, not right now, yet when someone calls you on it, you change your mind then call them an idiot? Wow.
What else you got? Has to be something to go off of. He’s gotta play 81 a year here. The alternative to my logic is “he sure is good everywhere he won’t call home”. Umm that’s worse than a stat line for sure lol.
If he was hitting .280 in those same games the conversation would be “jump on him someone who hits in Seattle” and you know it so don’t get snippy with me because it’s .205 and not .280. Take that up with Yandy lol
How many hitters have come to Seattle and died? I’ll start with Chone Figgins that’ll let me know how old everyone is. Let’s get more recent. Carlos Santana hit .192 here for half a season. Wanna know why Seattle didn’t give him the 12 million? That’s why. Teoscar Hernandez recent enough he says it in his name. Dreadful in Seattle. Jesse Winker went from all star to terrible to good enough to be acquired at the deadline. Rojas Polanco Frazier etc etc. even in a small sample Diaz has shown you he’s dying before he gets here. If you can’t see that and believe it on its face value I can’t help you. If locklear and Arroyo hit .205 2 years from now they’ll still be younger and cheaper. Why would I move that to get older more expensive and a wash on the field?
Ford is a catcher. Who is the first baseman without a future with the Mariners?
Small sample sizes mean squat… statistically speaking. Yandy hit 146 wRC+ at T-Mobile last year. Does that mean he will hit well above average there if he played a full season as a Mariner? If all you want stats to do is confirm your bias, then you’ll always be able to find a stat that does just that, but you will never make informed decisions or arguments. Yandy is a very good player and he would most likely make Seattle a much better team. He will come a lot cheaper than Alonso too.
And let’s not forget that with such low ABs, yhe difference between. 205 and .300 is less than 10 additional hits.
When someone says, “Guarantee I know more about baseball than you will ever understand boy…” I immediately question how much they know about baseball.
Richie Sexton, Adrian Beltre, Justin Smoak, lol
Ty France?
Trade from your strength…. Do you hear yourself?
Sexson hit well for the first half of that contract. Don’t know why everyone thinks he was so. Go look at his numbers and I would kill for that to be in the Mariners lineup.
And yet he’s hasn’t gotten 10 at T-Mobile yet career. Ignore history and doom yourself to repeat it.
Locklear
I dunno, I actually think the Rays block Dipoto’s number for this one.
Agreed.
Lmao dude you are crazy
How so? Trade values line up perfectly and people on here are saying similar trade deals
Done. Sign me up.
There’s the homer reply trying to defend Diaz’s value then saying yep trade him lmao
If the Rays aren’t going to be competitive in 2025, and I for one do not believe they will be, then why wouldn’t they consider trading Lowe and/or Diaz to help their future teams? You don’t have to be a homer to believe Lowe and Diaz are both good and on the trade block.
Only 3 of their top prospects for 2 soon to be FA?
2 years of Lowe and Diaz, both of whom are capable of generating 3+ fWAR per season, ain’t coming cheap, and the Rays don’t need a quantity trade when they already have the deepest system in baseball. It’s top prospects or nada.
Jeez Louise. What a horrible trade suggestion. What are you smoking?
2 established MAJOR leaguers for 3 PROSPECTS is a fair deal if you want to win now which is what the Mariners need to do…Trade values line up perfectly…
I’d do these trades in a heartbeat as a mariners fan. Fits the window now and in the future
I don’t like McDonalds
Diaz and lowe for ford and a random guy like Ryan bliss?
Or trade Castillo for a 2nd baseman (like hoerner) and then get yandy Diaz and drew Rasmussen for ford?
Big Shane mcclanahan trade??? I have no idea what the mariners will do obviously
They ain’t gonna flip the bill for all that. You kno better than that. Diaz for Ford straight up, ray’s throw in a couple bucks maybe. Thats right up Jerry’s alley ! Sprinkle in a little media leakage and we might get a deal done tmrw
Diaz for Ford straight up doesn’t seem like a good idea for the M’s. Diaz doesn’t play a premium position and he’s not enough of an impact bat to give up 6 years of control of a top 40 prospect who does play a premium position.
Where are the Mariners going to get a better bat than Diaz to be the RHB first baseman they allegedly covet? Alonso will cost a lot more money, will cost the Mariners draft picks, and hasn’t performed as well as Diaz by wRC+ (though he has more power). Who else moves the needle for the Mariners? Aren’t Mariner fans tired of missing the playoffs?
Ford’s been a top 40 prospect for like 4 seasons, that means he’s never been a top prospect or he’d graduate to majors by now. His probability of fizzing out is sky high ! So yeah, trading him for Diaz is his peak value imo
Rays may turn him into something but guys who spend 4 years on the top 100 list rarely ever turn into long term quality big leaguers
@mp- I don’t think Diaz will require Ford. I think tjey can get him for two good quality prospects (say Peete and Martinez) instead of one near-elite prospect.
@big- He’s 21 and was drafted 3 years ago lol this is not true
I can’t see the Rays trading Diaz to the Mariners without getting Ford, Celesten, Montes or Arroyo back in return. Rays have a bunch of Peetes in their system already and Martinez doesn’t move the needle at all.
This will be his 4th year on list. So I’m spot on bc he ain’t breaking the bigs this year either. Diaz is his peak value
So maybe they just hang on to him then. I don’t think anyone is giving up a top 100 prospect for him unless it’s toward the bottom. He’s not that much of a difference maker and doesn’t come with enough control.
4th year on the list /=/ 4th year as a top 40 prospect. Those are two different things. Not quite spot on but not wildly off either. But my argument was not about that, it was about your statement that “that means he’s never been a top prospect or he’d graduate to majors by now.” Most players don’t debut before age 21. You don’t just trade them for an above-average player because they didn’t force an early debut, especially when the team didn’t even try to fast track him to the MLB. If he’s going to be moved, do it in a package for a better quality player with more control.
Diaz is a legitimate big league hitter, so is Brandon Lowe, Mariners would do well in acquiring either.
Ford is a good prospect, if he can stick at catcher, I like the trade for the Rays, for either Lowe or Yandy. But the M’s have to throw in Jeter Martinez.
Brandon Lowe can’t stay on the field.
Diaz is a big league hitter but is not an impact one and he plays a position that doesn’t add much value defensively. On top of that, he doesn’t come with the control to justify trading a player of Ford’s caliber. Lowe can’t stay on the field as SodoMojo pointed out and is a pending free agent. He has way less value than Diaz.
The Mariners don’t need prospects right now, they need someone who can contribute right now! Their pitching staff is set up to win right now. We need an offense that can hit right now. The window is now!
Myaccount – Diaz and Lowe both have 2 years of control. Neither is a pending free agent.
If a guy is 18/19 and on the top 100 list, and in the top 50, it’s because he’s trending to break in bigs early. When he can’t, and isn’t dominating leagues- forcing promotions- then he’s not worthy of a top 50 ranking.
Ford is not a top prospect. He seems like a guy who will make it to bigs but may not fully develop until his second team when he’s around 27/28- like so many other former top prospects do.
His peak value is now bc there’s a buyer in the rays and a proven commodity in Diaz. I assume they get something done soon !
The word “covet” is excessively strong in the context of the Mariners’ pursuit for a platoon-mate (maybe “plus”) for Raley at 1B.
That is — at most — 1/3 of a full-time player. Therefore, the real value in such a fit is in their value elsewhere.
The thing is that they need any kind better-than-average-against-LHP bat. Santana and Turner fit perfectly because they also fit other needs (clubhouse leadership/ glue).
Could they *USE* a more permanent 1B that slides Raley into 1B/COF super-UT role. HELL YEAH!
Would Yandy Diaz fit that and not merely be a more costly version of Santana/ Turner/ Bucky Jacobsen 2025/ any other AAAA RHB-that-can-mash-LHP-but-do-absolutely-nothing-else-in-baseball? Well…
Do you have any evidence to support your “guys who spend 4 years on the top 100 list rarely ever turn into long term quality big leaguers [compared to players who spend less time on Top 100 but similar time in the minors]” claim?
It just seems an awfully strong statement to throw out there with no back up, is all…
Sounds like Bavasi ca 2007-09 logic.
You know… The time span he traded away nearly half the 2010-2013 AS team for PT vets… … … Who didn’t — and could never have — closed the gap
All of them ! Jesse winker is one. Robert Stevenson. I’m a reds fan but the profile fits all minor leaguers except maybe like the pitcher from Phili, painter I think is his name, if it takes him 4 years it’s bc he had Tommy John.
Dag Gummit – Assuming your comment is in response to my post above, I would imagine that the Mariners would plan to play Diaz at 1B/DH nearly everyday, while sliding Raley between 1B and COF as needed. Mariners have an all RHB outfield, so Raley pulling double duty makes sense. Santana has already signed with Cleveland and Turner is hanging on by a thread to his baseball career. Diaz is much better than Turner at this point. If you think otherwise, or that he isn’t one of the team leaders for the Rays, you’re not really paying attention to him (which a lot of people are guilty of).
Teams always need prospects. No team is better off not having a farm. You don’t recklessly trade prospects to get incrementally better. That’s how teams stay bad.
Yes, I would like us to try to make the playoffs. No, I don’t want to blow our farm for a two year window. I want the M’s to get good and stay good.
The mariners haven’t leaked a ton over the past 10 years
Nothing to leak.
LOL… You’re crazy if you think Ford and some scrub like Bliss gets two of Yandy Diaz, Brandon Lowe and Drew Rasmussen.
Don’t get these idiot Rays GMs started. They would probably trade McClanahan for JP Crawford instead of Woo and Hancock.
First off, it really is Harrison Ford, which is as weird as Albert Brooks’s real name. What were these parents thinking? Second, if the Rays want him, it’s Diaz and Lowe and the Rays also would have to take on Haniger. Which means that this trade isn’t happening at all. And… scene.
Sure, if the M’s demand a crazy unfair trade, the Rays won’t bite. Good point.
If that’s the offer, Seattle will need to throw in a more lotto tic type prospects and it’s a pretty fair trade. I think the rays will bite on that if it’s available
I don’t think the Rays are trading anyone off the MLB roster, least of all Yandy Diaz for a Catcher that hasn’t played above AA yet
With Jensen, Rortvedt, and Driscoll waiting in the wings, the Rays don’t need anymore catchers, especially because they can’t develop catchers very good well
This trade wouldn’t be about 2025, it would be about the Rays’ next window (2026-2030 (and hopefully longer)).
The current window isn’t closed and a team like the Rays doesn’t have to rebuild because they are constantly retooling
RSox – Is your comment directed to me? I can never tell on MLBTR. If it is, then I respectfully disagree. The Rays missed the playoffs in 2024 and will almost certainly miss the playoffs in 2025. By OD26 they will have very few players still on their roster from the 2023 season. To me, that means their window has closed (ie: 2 years of no playoffs and few players still on the team from the last playoff appearance). I never said “rebuild” by the way. The Rays act differently than other teams. You won’t see them tank and their retools or step back years still see them in the playoff hunt until the final few weeks. They won’t have the offense to compete in 2025. That’s just that.
I agree. If Tampa intends to contend, and surely they do after signing Jansen, it makes little sense to trade Lowe and Díaz.
What kind of desperate reporting is this by Adam Jude? It’s non-substantial but very obvious information that nobody will care to fact check whether he just made up out of thin air.
Jude isn’t that kind of reporter
It wasn’t even the report. it was a random statement buried way down the article when he was discussing the few unlikely options the M’s have.
I wish the league would stop kicking catchers to the outfield because they can hit rather than develop their plate skills. It takes years to build a great catcher. Let them learn their craft stop making mediocre transplant fielders out of them.
Cries in Henry Davis.
I was interested in pineapple pizza three years ago. I still don’t know if I like them or not, but I have previously been eating pineapple pizza
I can agree. Anytime the Rays or Mariners make a trade, it works out awful for both teams
Really? Luke Raley (129 wRC+ and 2.3 fWAR last year) and Randy Arozarena (122 wRC+ and 0.9 fWAR for the Mariners after the trade) say hi. Mariners did just fine with those trades.
@mp
Every good trade is offset by an awful one. And it seems they’ve had more bad than good. We don’t know yet how the Raley & Arozarena trades will work out for both teams for a few years as we possibly see those players decline or the prospects the Rays got for them do not pan out… Or whether it’s a dud deal or great deal for both.
But some past trades that were just awful (in retrospect mind you):
Rays get Brad Miller / Logan Morrison for some prospects who didn’t pan out. The Rays spent too much time on Miller.
Drew Smyly for Ryan Yarborough / Mallex Smith. Yarborough was valuable, but not as valuable as Smyly (even later in his career).
Denard Span / Alex Colome for Andrew Moore / Tommy Romero. Colome being the best piece in this deal.
They have gotten better recently but I never find the Rays winning any of these trades (and you can arguably say the same for Seattle). I also don’t include Diaz since he came from the Indians in a three team trade
You can’t compare many of those trades to the trades of Raley, Aroz or Diaz. Most of those trades were of declining players or players who weren’t very good to begin with. Raley, Aroz and Diaz are in a different category.
Well yeah, that’s the point. When they are trade partners they never make very good nor interesting trades. Like I said, we still need to see how Arozarena performs after getting settled and Luke Raley not hurt. And we need to see the prospects we got for them in 3 years before we can make judgement calls. IF they trade Diaz, that would definitely be a step up from their previous trades. On the flip side I can’t remember the last time a Mariners trade worked out for the Rays.
It’s not a knock on Rays scouting or anything like that. It’s just luck or unlucky. We seem to do well with players from Pirates and Guardians and Tigers, but not really from the Mariners or Padres.
Hmmm…. Could it be because Pirates (Archer trade), Tigers (Paredes trade) and Guardians (Caminero trade) all have at least one big lopsided trade, while there is no big lopsided trade with the Mariners?
I don’t judge trades based on the future. Rays did very well trading Aroz for a potential top 3 starting pitcher and potential starting CF. They lost the Raley trade though because Cabby is utility player who can’t play SS and you don’t trade big bats that hit 30% better than league average for bad bat utility players. Of course, without Franco and even Walls at the start of last year, the Rays were trading with a weak hand and the Mariners took advantage (and good for them for doing so).
Bingo. I kind of measure trades with how the Rays make out and what they give up. I’m sure there’s monetary data to measure those stats, but I just base mine on pure gut (and sometimes batting average).
Recently we have been stealing from some teams and not others. It doesn’t necessarily mean the Rays ‘lose’ these trades, but rather they become inconsequential. If even one of those guys puts in an above league average career line, Rays won. What the Rays don’t really take into account is fandom. Fans loved Arozarena and Paredes. By trading them, they once again alienate their fanbase. I think that’s also something to consider with these trades (And something the Rays give zero consideration about). I know how the Rays operate, but I want them to stick with a player through thick and thin. They did it with Longo, they did it with BLowe. I guess Walls is our new BLowe/Longo because he’s one of the longest tenured position players on the Rays.
The Rays have a weird fascination with UTIL players because they’re cheaper and flexible. I get it. I hate it. One guy who can play below-average anywhere on the field is worse than one guy who plays only one position really well. And that I won’t change my opinion about.
I think we agree about the Raley trade though.
Smyly pitched a total of 0.0 inning for the Mariners. Thanks WBC.
Yeah, the Rays operate somewhat ruthlessly when making roster decisions. Longo actually overstayed his welcome by a couple years in my opinion. KK lasted until the wheels fell off. But otherwise, most guys get moved a year early instead of a year late. That’s how the Rays stay relevant. Just look at this past year’s big free agent signing Phil Maton. He made so much money (by Rays standards) that they couldn’t take him out of the lineup, but he was so awful on the field that they couldn’t trade him to the Mets fast enough (who don’t care about money). Rays play the best players, not the guys who are paid big money salaries.
That’s nice to know. Thanks for that.
That’s my reaction to this article
Trivia Question: Harrison Ford once built a music studio for a famous musician who recently passed away. Can you name him?
Not sure why someone put all the work in they did to write this article. An article about a previous rumor that states no recent rumors. That should have been the end of the article.
The stove must be cold again. Now they’re rehashing old rumors.
Reds looking for an Edsel?
With a name like Harry Ford….. Ofcourse the Rays were interested
Maybe the Rays should focus on the present, there is a plant city born first baseman still out there who could be signed for 7 yrs 189 million. Sometimes you got to spend to win. Polar Bears love Florida:-)
Alonso would be an awful signing for the Rays. His performance is trending down and he’s not going to age well. Diaz is better anyway, at less than half the cost. Then there is the not insignificant risk that the Rays have to eat Franco’s contract. Combining Franco’s $20MM per year with Alonso’s $25MM would limit the Rays to basically pre-arb players for the rest of the roster until 2032.
Well the batting averages in the .240’s and .250’s are a little high for the Rays, but hopefully he can bring them down enough to please captain $tu for 3 years until he trades him for cheaper parts.
He has a strange profile. 80 grade plate discipline and can walk a ton but both power and hit tool are fringy and he has speed but at catcher that is tough to utilize.
What will the profile be?
Could be like 230/340/350 with 11 homers and 20 steals or so.
If the M’s can get a legit MLB hitter like Y. Diaz or B. Lowe for Harry Ford they have to pull the trigger. We have holes. Though only 21 years old Harry Ford has stalled a little bit in the Minors. Basic stats but 7HR and a .249 BA in over 400 AB’s is not ripping things up. He is athletic as heck and stole 35 bags last year but the M’s have top trade from strength, get this line up upgraded and it seems like a lot of teams have not been as interested in trading for prospects as the Mariners and other teams have hoped, so If they Rays truly value Ford, get one or both from the Rays, have a solid solution at 2b and 1b/Dh and take on the salaries.
Would anyone substitute Harry Ford for Lazaro Montes in this proposed trade of Yandy Diaz and Curtis Mead for Emerson Hancock, Tai Peete, Montes and the Round A Competitive Balance Draft pick?
baseballtradevalues.com/trades/181711
Maybe. The Rays don’t like Mead, despite his former top prospect status, so if the Rays can get real value for him before they totally waste all his prospect trade value, then maybe it makes sense. If Montes comes out, I would ask the Mariners to also take out Hancock and Peete in return for a final trade package of Ford, Arroyo, and the CB-A pick in return for Diaz and Mead. I would probably settle for a trade without the draft pick though.
Harry Ford for Wander Franco.
Oh wait….
Done!!! No take backs.
Don’t get too excited. The mariners seem very content to sit on their hands and do nothing.
Yep. CBS Sports has a pretty scathing article up right now about how the Orioles and Mariners are content to be in the preseason playoff discussion, but aren’t really making any effort to be relevant in October (or in the Mariners case, ensure they even make the playoffs).
wish we could bet on your “prediction”…and it’s hilarious that you call another team losers when you have been to how many playoffs in the last ten years? How many world series have you been to?
Sounds like your team is the group of losers…sorry, bruh.