Nats Make Trade for Two Mariners Prospects

In the first time in forever, the Nats made a non-deadline trade, dealing Jose A. Ferrer for Seattle’s top catching prospect and an RHP to kick off the 2025 MLB Winter Meetings.

Cue the Moneyball comps in 3… 2… 1…

Harry Ford instantly becomes the Nats’ top catching prospect—and #2 overall—taking over the seat held by Caleb Lomavita in 2025 and would have been in 2026. The turning-23-in-February backstop posted a .283/.408/.460 line in 97 games at Tacoma last summer.

Despite the production, there are concerns about whether Ford can consistently make hard contact and his ability to throw out baserunners (23% across five minor-league seasons) despite what scouts describe as a plus arm. He was briefly tried in LF in 2024 but the experiment was abandoned after three errors in eight games.

“The other guy” is Isaac Lyon, Seattle’s 10th Rd. pick out of Grand Canyon University, who made made four starts for Low-A Modesto in the hitter-friendly California League. He lost twice and posted a pitcher’s slash of 7.30/6.52/1.52 across 12⅓ innings. If you’re interested in a look at his repetoire, GCU’s soap-opera villain baseball analytics intern Drake Mann has you covered.