and Mickey Garver Entering the open market, the Mariners had a hole on their roster to fill without a clear replacement. Carl Rowley Behind the plate. As Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times points out, general manager Justin Hollander said at last week’s general manager meeting that the backup catching job will go to the long-term No. 1 candidate based on the current roster. harry ford.
“Harry will definitely be the substitute from today on,” Dhivesh paraphrased Holland’s statement. “I think Harry is in a good spot. He’s been everything you would expect from a high school catcher coming through the draft. He’s performed at every level.”
It’s not hard to see why Holland feels positive about Ford, who has been considered a top-100 prospect for years and had a brief taste of the majors in eight games late in the season this year. Ford hit .283/.408/.460 in 97 games at the Triple-A level this year, an impressive slash line that’s good for a 125 wRC+ even in the bloated offensive environment of the Pacific Coast League. He struck out only 19.2 percent of the time and walked 16.2 percent of the time, and while he didn’t run as often as his underclassmen (only seven steals that year), he did hit a career-high 16 home runs. Overall, it was a strong performance for the 22-year-old, one that clearly sets him up for more exposure to major league pitching in 2026.
However, whether this happens in Seattle or elsewhere has not yet been fully decided. Divish noted that while the Mariners appear happy to have Ford join the team as Raleigh’s backup, they remain open to trade offers involving Ford. It’s a smart stance, as Rowley has solidified himself as the best catcher in baseball after having the best season as a catcher in MLB history last year. Since the Mariners are sure to keep playing Raleigh (who has started at least 114 games in each of the past three seasons) as long as possible, the backup catcher role isn’t as important to Seattle as it is to other teams.
While there are no obvious alternatives to Ford in the organization right now, Divish noted that there are a number of viable backup options that could be available in the minor leagues or on low-cost major league deals. Many of these options will certainly provide similar products to Garver’s in the field. Given the lack of quality catching options in the league, if another team views Ford as a plug-and-play starter, they could value him so highly that the return on his services is worth a demotion from Seattle’s perspective. The free agent market is weak, highlighted by JT Realmuto and Victor Caratini If the Mariners decide to purchase Ford this offseason, his value will only increase further.
Ford aside, Holland also expressed confidence in the team’s existing players to fill the outfield vacancies next season. Randy Arozarena is locked in as the club’s everyday left fielder (at least unless he’s traded), while Julio Rodriguez Consolidating his position as the cornerstone of the team’s center. With right field filled by a hodgepodge of different players in 2025 and 2026, Holland pointed to three names that could be included: Luke Reilly, Dominic Canzoneand Victor Robles.
While none of them are impact players in 2025, it’s not hard to see why the Mariners would want to have these three competing at the position rather than looking for outside additions. Reilly hit a total of 41 homers and 42 doubles in 255 games while hitting .246/.326/.476 in back-to-back seasons with just one year remaining. While Reilly has never had success against left-handed pitching, it’s not hard to imagine his rebounding ability being enough to merit regular playing time when an opposing team’s right-handed starter is on the mound. Robles, meanwhile, missed all but 32 games last year due to injury, and the Mariners believed in him enough that they offered him an extension just two months after he joined the team.
Canzone’s overall track record is the weakest of the three, but this year’s performance is actually its best yet. As a part-time player with the Mariners, Canzone posted a .300/.358/.481 slash line with 11 home runs and 11 doubles in 82 games, while also striking out 21.9 percent of the time. A tough postseason as he went 3-for-28 with a walk and 10 strikeouts put him on the back burner in 2025, but the 28-year-old is clearly worth building on next season in 2025. Perhaps adding a second right-handed hitter next to Robles would allow the Mariners to maximize matchups and create depth in the event of an injury, but an everyday starter in the outfield really doesn’t seem necessary given the more significant holes surrounding the infield.
Another area where the Mariners appear to be looking to look inside is starting pitching depth. Didish reports that the right-hander Emerson Hancock Expected to prepare this winter and enter spring training as a starting pitcher. Hancock posted below-average results (4.81 ERA, 5.23 FIP) in three seasons and 162 2/3 innings in the majors as a swingman, but looked pretty good in brief relief in Seattle this year. This has some questioning whether he will remain in the bullpen full-time going forward, but the Mariners appear to value Hancock’s versatility given their lack of senior starting pitching depth. In addition to the starting five pitchers, only Logan Evans In addition to Hancock, he also spent a lot of time starting at the major league level.
