Breaking news! A trade

[bpj]

I like the idea of trading from depth that's obviously blocked at the MLB level.

Not sure about for a relief pitcher, but if he turns into the stud lefty we needed, great.

[Sexymarinersfan]

I like the idea of trading from depth that's obviously blocked at the MLB level.

Not sure about for a relief pitcher, but if he turns into the stud lefty we needed, great.

Especially when we have another 1st round Catching prospect right behind him in Stevenson.

[Big_Maple]

We got Garver for 2 years at $25MM.

Fuck it all - got get JT Realmuto for 2 years at $15MM AAV with mutual option for year 3. Give Raleigh a break - he can’t take the grind he took last year forever. Split DH and catching with JT. He’s got great defense and he’s worth 2.0 WAR easily.

For another $5-6MM I’d say JT’s 2 WAR is better than Mitch’s -0.1

Better bargain than Garver. IMHO.

That's an excellent idea that will never happen.

[Sexymarinersfan]

This also saves money to go out and acquire another free agent bat, or trade for someone like Donovan with a $7.5M salary AAV.

I heard Mitch Garver is looking for work:

Incoming Garver article to follow up your Tweet post.
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/12/ ... arver.html

[AT Fresno]

I would not be surprised to see Luke Stephenson make it to AA before the end of 2026. He was a major steal in the draft last year, IMO. Luke Stevenson (No. 35 overall draft pick) has quickly established himself as a top-10 organizational prospect thanks to his pro debut, earning "breakout candidate" buzz from Baseball America for 2026. Over 22 games (75 AB) in the California League, he slashed .280/.460/.400 with 21 hits (including 6 extra-base hits and 1 homer), 14 RBI, and just 1 stolen base, posting an .860 OPS across 100 plate appearances. His elite discipline shone through with 23 walks against 19 strikeouts, underscoring his patient approach in a hitter-friendly league. Even though he's been off to a fast start, and will likely reach Dickey-Stephens park by the latter part of 2026 I'd still like to see him spend most of 2027 in double A. So We need someone else as a backup catcher in 2026 and likely 2027. With the trade of Harry Ford, Stephenson is now in the Mariners top ten.

[Hy Feiber]

Varitek for Slocumb Redux?

Yep. This guy’s numbers are mediocre. Dumb move imho. Should have gotten more.

Why couldn’t they have just picked up another reliever off the scrap heap like they’ve been doing for years?

Just based on his stats at Tacoma, Ford looks like a pretty solid player, and it’s not realistic to expect Cal to keep catching 150 games a year for too much longer.

As I posted earlier, to not even give the kid a chance to see what he could do, seems ridiculous.

[harmony]

Varitek for Slocumb Redux?

Yep. This guy’s numbers are mediocre. Dumb move imho. Should have gotten more.

Why couldn’t they have just picked up another reliever off the scrap heap like they’ve been doing for years?

Just based on his stats at Tacoma, Ford looks like a pretty solid player, and it’s not realistic to expect Cal to keep catching 150 games a year for too much longer.

As I posted earlier, to not even give the kid a chance to see what he could do, seems ridiculous.

The Washington Nationals have soured on catcher Keibert Ruiz, who was a higher-ranked prospect than Harry Ford. In July 2021 Ruiz was roughly the same age Ford is today when the Los Angeles Dodgers traded Ruiz and three others to Washington for Trea Turner and Max Scherzer.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/play ... ions_other

[desbcoach]

I like the trade, GB pitcher with the 3rd worse IF defense in the league. He has a lot of upside IMO based on reading

[harmony]

Jose A. Ferrer carried a heavy caseload this year with 72 appearances but in his final 39 outings the left-hander posted a 3.21 ERA with 42 strikeouts and only six walks over 42 innings.

The Seattle front office has more info on spin rates, pitch mixes and arm slots than we fans have. Perhaps the Mariners see something in Ferrer that many fans have missed.

[Sports Hernia]

This also saves money to go out and acquire another free agent bat, or trade for someone like Donovan with a $7.5M salary AAV.

I heard Mitch Garver is looking for work:

Incoming Garver article to follow up your Tweet post.
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/12/ ... arver.html

Ick! That would be super dumb. Garver must have naughty pictures or m’s front office and ownership.