How Mariners may have kneecapped themselves with the Harry Ford trade

From a pure value standpoint, it’s hard to hate the Harry Ford-for-Jose A. Ferrer stunner. The Seattle Mariners turned a prospect with an uncertain defensive future into a hard-throwing lefty who fits their bullpen identity almost a little too perfectly. That’s the kind of “prioritize the present” move a win-now team is supposed to make.

But in solving one problem, the Mariners quietly created another: they completely nuked their catching depth chart.

Right now, the 40-man roster has exactly one catcher: Cal Raleigh. That’s it. No safety net, no soft landing, no “break glass in case of Tuesday getaway game.” Just Big Dumper and a whole lot of vibes.

Mariners solved one problem with the Harry Ford trade while creating another

Could they start Luke Stevenson’s clock? Sure. Would it be malpractice? Absolutely. Scouts love the kid, and the long-term upside is real, but nothing about this front office screams “burn service time on a 21-year-old catcher just to avoid a one-year deal.”

Which means the Mariners deliberately walked themselves back into a market they didn’t have to shop in: backup catcher.

That’s where the money part gets uncomfortable. Before the Josh Naylor deal, estimates had Seattle’s offseason budget in the $30–35 million range. Add Naylor’s 2026 salary at $11.3 million, then tack on, say, $5 million for a Mitch Garver reunion or a similar replacement-level option, and you’ve just shaved a real chunk off the top for a position that was already covered in-house.

Now ask yourself: can they still squeeze in Naylor, a backup catcher, and Jorge Polanco, who’s projected to land a deal pushing $15 million a year?

Maybe. But if Polanco’s market keeps humming, it’s easy to see how this gets tight fast. Buster Olney of ESPN has already described Polanco as “coveted,” which is code for: hope you’re ready to overpay or pivot.

However, back to Garver. No disrespect, he’s had a solid career and did grind through a brutal 2025. But the amount of nausea his name produced in a Mariners lineup graphic last season could probably power the Space Needle. Sure, he’s a clear upgrade over Seby Zavala. No, that doesn’t change the fact that this catching room suddenly feels like a house of cards behind an all-world starter.

Nobody’s pretending Ford was guaranteed to turn into Freddy Fermin 2.0. But if he’d struggled in 2026, fans would’ve given a long leash to a 22-year-old with upside and years of control. That patience vanishes the second you swap “future cornerstone” for “veteran who’s supposed to hit.”

The Mariners absolutely might come out of this fine. Ferrer could shove, Polanco could still land in Seattle, and a sensible backup catcher could slide in without blowing up the budget. But make no mistake: by trading Ford, they turned a quiet organizational strength into a potential headache — and now they have to thread a much tighter needle to finish this roster.