Harry Ford's first big test with Nationals should have Mariners breathing easy

The deal that sent Harry Ford to the Nationals wasn't exactly positively received by many fans. At the end of 2025, Ford was ranked as Seattle's No. 4 prospect and had already been called up by Seattle, albeit for a grand total of eight plate appearances. When he was traded for a left-handed reliever named Jose A. Ferrer that had posted a 4.48 ERA, it seemed like quite the overpay.

Almost a full season afterwards, it seems that the trade has already begun to pay dividends for the Mariners. Ferrer has been one of the most reliable options for manager Dan Wilson, making more appearances than any pitcher other than Eduard Bazardo and posting a respectable 3.56 ERA. On the other side of the table, it doesn't seem like the Nationals have gotten quite as much value out of their end of the bargain.

Harry Ford has largely been disappointing for the Nationals and has an unclear future in the organization

This past offseason, the Nationals were looking to build a supporting cast for their young core that includes James Wood and C.J. Abrams. Catcher was one of the biggest positions to improve as the duo of Riley Adams and Keibert Ruiz was one of the worst in the sport. In 2025, Nationals catchers combined for a paltry 65 wRC+ (30th in MLB) and -7 DRS (23rd in MLB), so Harry Ford seemed like an obvious way to patch up an obvious hole in the lineup.

Unfortunately, since joining his new team, Ford hasn't done much to win Washington over. He has spent the majority of the season in Triple-A where his offensive output continued to struggle. Across 257 plate appearances, he posted a wRC+ of just 96 with slugging percentage of just .335.

Given his lackluster numbers, it may have come across as a surprise that he joined the big league roster in the second half, but he was only called up after Washington's backup catcher Drew Millas found himself on the injured list due to a finger fracture.

In the 22 big league games he has played, things haven't changed much at the plate. He continues to walk and strike out more than average and there's a severe lack of contact quality. He has hit two home runs, giving him a more respectable slugging percentage of .371 but he has done little to suggest that he can put up competitive at-bats at this level. Defensively, he has actually been solid and despite a wRC+ of just 88 for the Nationals so far, his above-average fielding has helped push him to 0.4 fWAR.

At 23 years old, Ford still has time to figure things out before it becomes a real concern, but it seems like the Mariners were correct that he wouldn't be ready in time to make the most out of the current competitive window. Even if Cal Raleigh hasn't been up to snuff this season, he's showing signs of life at just the right time and could fully return to form soon, solidifying the Mariners' belief that in Seattle, Ford would've been relegated to a backup for his entire athletic prime.

Despite being one of two left-handed Mariner relievers going through a rough patch in the second half, Jose A. Ferrer has already proven himself to be more valuable to the organization and although it was an unpopular acquisition at the time, the front office turned out to be right. Seattle may come to regret giving up on Ford so early in his professional career, but unless he makes a drastic turnaround, the Mariners are breathing easy about their decision to let him go.

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