Insider report indicates Mariners could trade Harry Ford soon

The Seattle Mariners have had quite an interesting storyline developing at the catcher position, and not just the historic season Cal Raleigh is having.

Raleigh, however, does have something to do with it.

The Raleigh family supports Cal en route to Home Run Derby title

With Raleigh in the fold taking the bulk of the reps at catcher and veteran Mitch Garver under contract through the end of the season, top catching prospect Harry Ford’s path to the majors this year appears blocked. And Ford has done just about everything he can to prove he’s ready to reach the big leagues at this point.

Ford, ranked as Seattle’s No. 5 prospect and No. 55 in all of baseball by MLB Pipeline, is hitting .292 with an .855 OPS, 14 doubles and nine home runs over 69 games with Triple-A Tacoma. He’s walked nearly as many times (50) as he’s struck out (55), and he ranks fifth in the Pacific Coast League with a .409 on-base percentage.

As Ford has excelled in the minors this year, his name has increasingly come up as a top trade chip for the Mariners ahead of the July 31 MLB trade deadline due to the presence of Raleigh in the majors.

More fuel was added to the fire Sunday when USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported that the expectation around the league is that Ford could be one of the top prospects dealt at the deadline.

“The best prospects expected to be traded by contenders this month, GMs believe, could be Cubs outfielder Owen Caissie and Seattle Mariners catcher Harry Ford,” Nightengale wrote.

The Mariners made a decision Sunday that could be an indicator of their plans with Ford. With a compensatory round pick at No. 35 overall, Seattle took North Carolina catcher Luke Stevenson, who was one of the top college catching prospects this year.

Seattle Mariners MLB Draft Tracker: Details on every 2025 pick

What the M’s do with Ford before the trade deadline remains to be seen, but it will be one of the most interesting storylines to watch for the organization over the next two weeks.

More on the Seattle Mariners and MLB Draft

• Seattle Mariners Notebook: Raleigh joins Team USA for WBC
• Three things we learned about top Mariners draft pick Kade Anderson
• 2025 MLB Draft picks from local high schools and colleges
• No right-handed hitter in baseball has been better than Cal Raleigh
• Salk: Michael Arroyo is best story in Seattle Mariners’ farm system

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