New York Yankees fans are freaking out after trading struggling slugger Mike Ford to the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Rays have a habit or turning other teams’ trash into treasure. Does that mean they hit on every trade? No, not so much. Not every team is the Pittsburgh Pirates, dealing Austin Meadows and Tyler Glasnow for Chris Archer.
Brian Cashman has more sense than to trade anything valuable in-division, but the Rays seem to think Ford has something left in the tank. Ford is hitting just .133 on the season with the Yankees, with eight hits in 60 at-bats. At his best, he can provide some power from the left side.
So, how will the Rays employ Ford? It’s unlikely they’ll turn a Ford into a Ferrari, but they can hit him against righties, where he has a better chance at making contact.
MLB news: Yankees fans afraid of what Mike Ford will become in Tampa
Trading within the division is rarely a good idea. Cashman and every good general manager needs this, and the fact the Yankees merely acquired cash and a player to be named later isn’t a great look.
Do the New York Yankees really have money problems? If so, couldn’t they have dealt him…literally anywhere else outside of Boston and Tampa?
Mike Ford now that he’s on the Rays pic.twitter.com/teAhVaFKUB
— gabe (@PlayoffTanaka_) June 17, 2021
Getting the “Yankees DFA Mike Ford” notification vs. the “Rays have acquired Mike Ford” one pic.twitter.com/WGB3UYsOb4
— Stanzo (@ncostanzo24) June 17, 2021
https://twitter.com/HoodieJudge99/status/1405565805299961859
If Mike Ford goes on to become a Hall of Famer because he’s on the Rays now then it’s okay for everyone to cry https://t.co/gLS3Nj6V7L
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) June 17, 2021
Mike Ford when he puts on the Rays uniform pic.twitter.com/6jH6X5RG7n
— 4 Train Savages (@FourSavages) June 17, 2021
Remember when Jim-Mon Choi was a Yankee? Now he is a serviceable starter for TB.
— PaddyO-from-da-Bronx (@paddy0_bronx) June 17, 2021
Hello Mike Ford pic.twitter.com/FsWLBlxuBZ
Mike Ford vs Gerrit Cole in Game 5 of the ALDS pic.twitter.com/PUhNigKaPr
— Jeremy (Glas szn HAS RESUMED) (@theteremyjaylor) June 17, 2021
Mike Ford after 2 weeks of Rays coaching: pic.twitter.com/ZIqQlQJjSZ
— NYY Recaps (@NYYRecapsDerek) June 17, 2021
Mike Ford with the Rays now pic.twitter.com/umwIQYj9c2
— Rich (@RAKcity27) June 17, 2021
I’m not even kidding. Mike Ford is gonna be Ji-Man Choi part 2.
— Yankees Analytics Nerds (49-42-9) (@YankeesNerds) June 17, 2021
Guys… you couldn’t have picked another team?
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) June 17, 2021
cashman considerations. lets see who this player to be named later is
— Pinstripe Strong (@PinstripeStrong) June 17, 2021
Cant wait for his walk-off homer given up by Chapman sometime this fall.
— Adam. (@AdamLMedia) June 17, 2021
— Jason Walker 🦬 (@Jason_Walker24) June 17, 2021
There were so many more, I assure you.
The Yankees likely won’t come to regret trading Ford. The odds are in their favor, given his relatively mediocre big-league career so far.
But why take the chance? Sure, New York traded Mike Tauchman…to the Giants. In all likelihood, that won’t come back to bite them.
However, if Ford hits one home run against the Bronx Bombers, that’s one too many.