Seattle Mariners acquire reliever Jose Ferrer in off-season trade
SEATTLE - The Seattle Mariners acquired left-handed reliever Jose Ferrer from the Washington Nationals in exchange for catching prospect Harry Ford and pitching prospect Isaac Lyon.
Ferrer, 25, is a very successful arm from the left side against left-handed hitting, allowing only a .186 batting average against with a .521 on-base-plus-slugging against in 2025. He has a three-pitch mix with a 97 mph sinker, changeup and slider.
Ferrer has made 142 career Major League appearances with the Nationals, going 8-4 with 12 saves and a 4.36 ERA with 35 walks and 121 strikeouts.
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 02: Jose A. Ferrer #47 of the Washington Nationals celebrates a 5-2 win over the Miami Marlins at Nationals Park on September 2, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
Ferrer’s contract gives the Mariners four years of club control with one year left of minimum salary and three years of salary arbitration.
The cost to get Ferrer is a bit steep with the return of Ford headlining the deal. Seattle’s No. 4 ranked prospect per MLB.com, Ford, 22, made his debut with the Mariners this season, appearing in eight games with one hit, one RBI and one run scored. He also got one postseason at-bat as a pinch-hitter and singled in the ALCS against Toronto.
With Cal Raleigh entrenched as Seattle’s catcher, Ford’s pathway forward as a catcher was blocked. While Ford’s bat is highly regarded, his ability defensively as a catcher is suspect, though his diligence to the defensive side has never been a question.
The Mariners do still need a backup catcher at the major league level as Mitch Garver became a free agent at the end of the season. A reunion with Garver at a reduced salary would still make plenty of sense for Seattle.
Lyon, 21, was a 10th round pick of the Mariners in the 2025 MLB Draft out of Grand Canyon University. The son of former MLB reliever Brandon Lyon, he made his professional debut for the Single-A Modesto Nuts and made four starts last season, posting a 7.30 ERA with three walks and 15 strikeouts in 12 ⅓ innings pitched.
He wasn’t ranked in the Mariners’ top 30 prospects.
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