The Seattle Mariners made a surprising move on Tuesday, announcing that they were designating slugger Mike Ford for assignment. He's almost certain to become a free agent.
Per @MarinersPR on social media:
We’ve made the following roster moves:
Zach DeLoach, OF, selected to 40-man roster
Mike Ford, INF, designated for assignment
The move is surprising because Ford hit 16 homers for a Mariners' team that is generally starved for offense. He hit those 16 homers in just 219 at-bats and he also drove in 34. Now, the M's will have to replace his power production and the production of Teoscar Hernandez, who is a free agent as well.
The decision to keep DeLoach comes from the fact that the M's needed to add him to the 40-man roster or risk losing him in the Rule 5 draft. They obviously wanted to keep him.
Per the release above:
DeLoach, 25, spent the 2023 season with Triple-A Tacoma, batting .286 (151x528) with 90 runs, 30 doubles, 2 triples, 23 home runs, 88 RBI and 8 stolen bases, getting on base at a .387 clip and slugging .481 (.868 OPS) in 138 games. Among Pacific Coast League hitters, DeLoach ranked 2nd in hits (151), 4th in walks (83), T-5th in home runs (23), T-8th in RBI (88), 6th in doubles and 11th in OPS.
The Irving, Texas native recorded 37 multi-hit games, including 10 with 3+ hits.
He's certainly an interesting player but he joins Jarred Kelenic, Taylor Trammell, and Cade Marlowe as left-handed hitting outfielders on the 40-man roster.
As for Ford, he's a lifetime .211 hitter with 36 homers and 85 RBI. He's played for the Mariners, Yankees, Giants, Braves and Angels.
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