Paul Toboni pulled off his first trade as Washington Nationals GM and it is a big one. He sent closer Jose A. Ferrer to the Mariners for top catching prospect Harry Ford and pitching prospect Isaac Lyon. There had been some buzz that the Mariners were interested in the left hander, but this was unexpected.
Heading into his age 26 season, Ferrer was
expected to be the Nats closer. He put up a 4.48 ERA last season but the underlying numbers suggested he was very unlucky. His ground ball heavy approach was not the best match for the Nats poor infield defense.
Ferrer should be a very important piece of the Mariners bullpen for years to come. He is not even in arbitration yet and is a flame-thrower who gets a ton of ground balls. It makes a lot of sense why the Mariners would want him.
However, the package the Nats are getting back for him is substantial. The key piece here is catcher Harry Ford. The 2021 first round pick ranks as the 42nd best prospect in all of baseball according to MLB Pipeline. There are other rankings like Just Baseball that have him in the 60’s, but he is a consensus top 100 prospect.
He also fills the Nats biggest need, which is catcher. It simply has not worked out for Keibert Ruiz since signing that extension. This move signals that the Ruiz era could be coming to an end.
Ford hit .283 with an .868 OPS in Triple-A last year, so he is big league ready. He also got a cup of coffee in the MLB last September. However, Ford’s path to playing time was blocked in Seattle due to the presence of Cal Raleigh. With the Big Dumper locked up long term, Ford was always going to be a trade candidate.
He was a guy I would have wanted in a potential MacKenzie Gore package, but getting him in a deal for a relief pitcher is very exciting. Ford could be the Nats Opening Day starting catcher next year. He does not have much left to prove in the Minors and the Nats have a glaring hole behind the plate.
Defensively, Ford has improved over the years and projects to be a solid defender, but not necessarily a Gold Glover. Interestingly, Ford is a plus runner, which is very rare for a catcher. That is a nice added bonus for the Nats.
Lyon is more or less a throw-in. He was a 10th round pick last year for the Mariners. The right hander has a funky arm slot, so maybe there is something Paul Toboni likes there. However, this is pretty much a Ford for Ferrer deal.
This should benefit both teams, at least in my opinion. Ford projects as a starting catcher, which the Nats desperately need while Ferrer should flourish in the back end of Seattle’s bullpen. It will be very interesting to see how this trade pans out over the next several years. Paul Toboni has made his first big splash in DC.
