North Carolina catcher Luke Stevenson (44) hits the ball during the seventh inning of the Super Regionals game against Arizona in Chapel Hill, North Carolina on June 8. Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

It Seems Like the Seattle Mariners Are Getting Ready to Trade a Top Prospect

Originally posted on Minor League Baseball on SI
By Brady Farkas | Last updated Jul 14, 2025 4:25 PM ET

On Sunday morning, a report surfaced that MLB executives are expecting the Seattle Mariners to trade top catching prospect Harry Ford at the looming trade deadline.

On Sunday night, that report might have been strengthened because of what the M's did in the MLB Draft, selecting catcher Luke Stevenson of North Carolina with the No. 35 pick.

On the surface, the Mariners don't need a catcher at No. 35. After all, they have Cal Raleigh, the best catcher in the sport, locked in for six years on a new contract. All other catchers are blocked by Raleigh, so there's no real sense in having multiple top prospect catchers that never have a path to playing time.

Did the #Mariners just take a catcher so they could trade Harry Ford this deadline?
— Brady Farkas (@RefuseToLosePod) July 14, 2025

So, it seems like there's a very real possibility that Ford is dealt at the deadline, allowing Stevenson to eventually work into the backup role. After all, Mitch Garver's contract is up at the end of this season.

Stevenson was ranked as the No. 38 prospect in the draft, per ESPN. He hit .251 this past season with 19 homers and 58 RBIs. He had a robust .414 on-base percentage.

As for Ford, the 22-year-old has spent the entire season with the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers and just represented the Mariners at the Futures Game on Saturday. The No. 58 prospect in the game (per MLB Pipeline), he's hitting .292 with nine home runs and 50 RBIs. He's a good runner as well, as evidenced by his 35 steals at Double-A last year, but he only has four steals this year.

This article first appeared on Minor League Baseball on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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