Rays have previously shown interest in top Mariners catching prospect

A recent post from MLB Trade Rumors detailed the Rays being incredibly interested in Mariners top catching prospect Harry Ford, and since it's the offseason (the really dead part of the offseason at that), what better way to kick off the new year than to break down what makes Ford such a highly coveted prospect.

With Ford, the biggest plusses have always been his athletic ability and his power.

FanGraphs has his game power at a 30 with a future value of 50, and his speed at 60 for both.

However, the biggest reason for optimism for Ford was his recent improvements defensively. There were some concerns at first that Ford wouldn't be able to stick as a catcher, but with his elite athletic profile, it wasn't as much of a concern, as he could make an easy transition to the outfield.

Ford has hit at every level, with wRC+ marks of 130+ through the complex leagues and both levels of A ball, and his first year at AA was fine, with a 119 posting in that category.

There was a bit of a dip in measurable power for the 2024 season, his first at the AA level, as his usually steady ISO mark dipped to .119 for the year.

The good news is that his walk rate is still acceptable, his strikeout rate didn't spike too much, and his OBP was still a very respectable .377 despite a relatively low .323 BABIP.

The big hope, especially for the defensive-minded Rays, is that Ford can continue to develop defensively and perhaps turn what was once a weakness into a relative strength.

Ford should continue to be an above-average-for-a-catcher hitter, but it might be a while until he arrives at the major league level.

The 21-year-old has an ETA of 2026 on FanGraphs, meaning whatever team trades for him is going to have to wait at least another year if everything goes to plan.

He will likely need at least another year to either get adjusted to AA, or to make the transition to AAA.

Even that isn't a given, and with his relative youth (he'll be 23 in February 2026), that's not as big of a problem as it would be with some other top prospects.

So, with all of that being said, what would it take for the Rays to acquire Ford?

The short answer: a lot.

Ford is a top-40 prospect in baseball on FanGraphs and while prospect rankings aren't everything, it's a good indicator of around how valuable he is to teams around baseball.

And unfortunately for the Rays or any other team looking to trade for him, that value is pretty high.

Trading for Ford would likely mean having to give up Yandy Diaz or Brandon Lowe, as the Mariners desperately need competent hitters to compliment their elite pitching staff.

If the Rays are willing to part with one of those players, pushing all their chips in on one prospect might be a bit out of the norm for the Rays, who have shown to prefer a quantity-over-quality approach to accumulating prospects, as evidenced by their 2024 trade deadline.

But crazier things have happened, and for Seattle, if they get off to a good enough start and Brandon Lowe is healthy by July, they might grow desperate enough by the deadline to include Ford in a deal for Lowe to help their playoff push.