The Seattle Mariners continued their productive offseason on Saturday, following up their Josh Naylor signing by trading Harry Ford to the Washington Nationals in exchange for left-handed reliever Jose A. Ferrer, according to FanSided's Robert Murray. Andrew Golden of the Washington Post added that pitching prospect Isaac Lyon will be joining Ford with the Nationals.
The Seattle Mariners are acquiring reliever Jose Ferrer from the Washington Nationals for catcher Harry Ford, according to sources familiar with the deal.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) December 6, 2025
Full Nationals-Mariners trade details
This is a trade that makes a lot of sense for both teams. Harry Ford is the No. 42 prospect in the sport according to MLB Pipeline, so landing him in exchange for a reliever is pretty good business for Washington.
However, Cal Raleigh's presence (Raleigh is under contract through 2030) made Ford very expendable from Seattle's point of view. Trading a guy who'd never start for them, at least behind the plate without a Raleigh injury, in exchange for several years of an underrated left-handed reliever, can also be seen as shrewd business.
Nationals acquire Harry Ford and Isaac Lyon: Grade
It's hard not to like this deal for Washington. Jose A. Ferrer is their best reliever, so losing him hurts, but the Nationals are in rebuilding mode, so it's not as if they'll have many leads to protect. Landing a player of Ford's caliber for just a reliever is very nice.
Ford only has six at-bats in the big leagues, but he had a great year in Triple-A in 2025 (16 HR, 74 RBI, .868 OPS). In addition to his offensive prowess, Ford has three 20+ stolen base seasons in the minor leagues, and would immediately be one of the league's most athletic catchers, assuming he begins 2026 behind the plate in Washington.
It's hard to trade a proven reliever for a prospect, but Washington couldn't have done much better here when it comes to selling high on Ferrer. Ford has a chance to be a core building block for years to come if he lives up to his potential.
Grade: A-
Mariners acquire Jose A. Ferrer: Grade
Trading a prospect as talented as Ford for a reliever who posted a 4.48 ERA in 2025 might not sound great, but Jose A. Ferrer is a lot better than his ERA would indicate. Ferrer averaged 97.7 mph with his sinker in 2025, good for the 94th percentile per Baseball Savant. He also throws strikes (4.9 BB/9, 95th percentile), avoids barrels (4.8 percent barrel rate, 93rd percentile), and keeps the ball on the ground (64.3 percent ground ball rate, 99th percentile), while also striking out nearly a batter an inning. That'll play!
Ferrer has a high-ish ERA, but he also had a 3.03 FIP and a 3.60 xERA, proving that he was among the unluckiest pitchers in the game. In fact, of the 199 pitchers with at least 70 innings pitched in 2025, Ferrer's 1.45 E-F (ERA-FIP) was the fifth-highest in the sport, showing just how unlucky he was. Assuming that luck evens out in 2026, adding him to a bullpen that already consists of the likes of Andres Munoz and Matt Brash makes the Mariners even scarier.
Mariners fans might've wanted more than just a reliever for Ford, but it wouldn't be surprising to see Ferrer end 2026 as one of the best left-handed relievers in the game, and he's also under cheap club control through 2029. Getting a reliever of this caliber for a player who'd never find a full-time starting role in Seattle anytime soon is a better deal for the Mariners than it'll probably be made out to be.
Grade: B
More MLB Winter Meetings news and analysis: