Mariners have 3 painfully difficult ways forward with red-hot prospect Harry Ford

One of the biggest storylines for the Seattle Mariners this year is the incredible success that Cal Raleigh has been having. Since he has essentially cemented himself as the best catcher in baseball, it's easy to forget that one of the hottest prospects in Seattle's system for the past few years was supposed to be his backup.

Despite some ups and downs last season, Harry Ford has shined with Triple-A Tacoma so far in 2025, posting a 144 wRC+ with seven doubles and six homers in 41 games.

The Mariners lack straightforward answers for what to do with Harry Ford

The biggest questions about Ford's power seem to have been answered with his work in Tacoma. His average exit velocity is just under 90 mph, he has a hard-hit rate of 44 percent, and he has a slugging percentage of .484. Unfortunately, this may force the Mariners to make an uncomfortable decision about him soon.

In a best-case scenario, he'll get called up like fellow top prospect Cole Young, but that would create a deeper logjam at the catcher and designated hitter roles.

Given how successful Raleigh has been and the current slump at DH, it might make more sense for Ford to primarily slot in for the latter role, but that'd be a waste of the defensive skillset he has spent his entire baseball career refining. He has been played in other positions in the past, but it's clear that most of his value lies in him being a backstop.

If the Mariners don't call him up, Ford will continue to tear up the minor leagues at the cost of his growth and development. His athletic prime will be wasted and the Mariners will fail to reap any benefit from the exceptional talent they drafted 12th overall in 2021. Assuming he continues at the pace that he's currently on, it's clear that there isn't much more to be learned.

Perhaps the most beneficial path forward is to use him in an upcoming trade. After all, the Mariners have been predicted to be one of the more proactive organizations during this year's trade deadline and there are undoubtedly holes in the roster that need patching before the postseason rolls around.

Of course, that would mean ceding control of his contract completely. What happens if Raleigh starts slumping or, even worse, gets injured? Catchers also have relatively short career timelines and Raleigh is six years older than Ford, so should the Mariners retain him as an immediate successor? Would that mean keeping him on the bench or in the minors for the duration of Raleigh's six-year contract?

None of these questions have easy answers and no one outside of the front office really knows what will happen. The organization could be shopping him around to the 29 other MLB teams or booking his flight to Seattle now. Either way, they'll have to make a final decision soon if they want to make the most out of his talents.