The Seattle Mariners have gotten the biggest piece of their offseason business done already by re-signing Josh Naylor from free agency.
But now there are some decisions to be made, and one of the under-the-radar ones involves Harry Ford, the top prospect catcher.
The Mariners, of course, have a well-established catcher in the form of 60-HR Cal Raleigh.
Mitch Garver is heading to free agency, so Ford could be the backup in 2026.
“As of today, Harry would definitely be the backup,” Mariners GM Justin Hollander told beat reporter Ryan Divish. “I think that Harry’s in a great spot. He has checked all the boxes along the way that you would want from a high school catcher coming through the draft. He’s performed at every level.”
MORE: Mariners complete a trade with the Dodgers for a lefty pitcher
Ford is an athletic top-100 prospect who hit .283 with a .460 slugging in Triple-A in 2025 before getting eight MLB games at the end of the year.
That could also make him a trade candidate, Divish writes, adding that the Mariners are “open” to hearing trade offers on Ford.
If Ford stays, Seattle might have to figure out a way to get him into other spots in the field, likely the outfield, but it’s a bit crowded out there, too.
Ford’s future is a key factor in what the Mariners accomplish not just in 2026 but in the years to follow. There’s an important decision to be made here, for sure.
Seattle has veterans to worry about, too, with free agents Eugenio Suarez and Jorge Polanco. But even if they come back, they won’t linger too long.
Ford is the guy that can be around in the present era and the future era. What Seattle does with him will say a lot about the Mariners’ feelings about him.
Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle