The Seattle Mariners sit nine games above .500 and are engaged in what is arguably the most intense and compelling division race in baseball. The Houston Astros hold a soft 1.5-game lead and we all know what Houston is capable of once the autumn months roll around. But this Mariners team feels different from past Mariners teams, in no small part due to the front office's ambition.
Seattle made multiple big swings at the trade deadline, most notably in separate trades with the Arizona Diamondbacks to acquire Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suárez. It has been a real slog for the latter, but Naylor is swinging the bat well and making serious noise as a base-runner. Once Suárez finds his rhythm, Seattle should have one of the more intimidating offenses in MLB.
And yet, there's always room for approval, and Seattle's front office cannot rest on its laurels after a productive deadline. The best GMs are working right up to the postseason buzzer to improve the roster. For Jerry DiPoto, the next move is obvious.
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Mariners need to call up top-five prospect Harry Ford
Harry Ford, Seattle's No. 4 prospect and No. 40 overall at MLB Pipeline, has put together an excellent season with Triple-A Tacoma. He's batting .292 with an .880 OPS and 15 home runs in 343 at-bats, which ties his Minor League career high with time left on the board. Ford is extremely disciplined, drawing a lot of walks and showcasing an ability to deliver hits to all areas of the field. He's still working on ramping up the power, but he's a threat to steal 20-plus bases and his .413 OBP should translate nicely to the top level.
The only thing holding Ford back at this point, besides age, is position. He's a catcher by trade and the M's don't really need another backstop with Cal Raleigh in the middle of a historic offensive campaign. Sure, Ford would serve as a more than adequate backup, but Seattle isn't going to pigeonhole a top prospect in a reserve role.
So how can Seattle make it worth their while to call up Ford? Well, he has been hard at work learning the ropes in left field. The Mariners aren't exactly wanting for talent in the outfield. Julio Rodríguez and Randy Arozarena are regulars, while Dominic Canzone has broken through nicely in 2025, posting a .799 OPS and 129 wRC+. But the Mariners can make it work, because Ford is that good.
Mariners need to leave no stone unturned ahead of playoffs
Seattle is in position to comfortably earn a Wild Card spot, if not the division crown, assuming their current pace holds. But just making the playoffs is not good enough for a team that has been clawing its way to this level for years. The M's are loaded in the pitching department and the offense is finally up to the standards of other AL powerhouses. DiPoto and the front office need to push all their chips in.
Finding consistent reps for Ford at the MLB level might be tricky, but it's certainly not impossible. He can poach DH reps from Jorge Polanco, catcher reps from Cal Raleigh (on off days), and outfield reps from Canzone (or whichever M's outfielder needs a day off). That is a lot to put on a rookie's plate with months left in the season, but Ford is known as a hard worker and he'd surely embrace the challenge of moving around the field in order to help a postseason run.
Adding another disciplined hitter with burgeoning power and speed on the bases could be just what the doctor ordered for Seattle down the stretch. It's time for Ford to get his MLB shot.