Minnesota Twins Sign Underwhelming Journeyman Slugger

Not only can the Twins not spend any money… but they actually need to cut about $10 million in payroll between now and the start of the 2025 season, something that is much easier said than done, especially on a roster with as many holes as this one has.

Minnesota Twins sign 1B/DH Mike Ford to a minor league deal

That’s why we are going to be stuck bargain hunting in the clearance aisle at Dollar General, where you find free agents like Mike Ford, who reportedly signed a minor league deal with the Minnesota Twins on Thursday afternoon.

As Aaron Gleeman (The Athletic) notes, Mike Ford has played in 251 MLB games between 2019 and 2024. The 32-year-old 1st baseman spend his first three seasons with the New York Yankees, where he failed to hit above the Mendoza Line — .199 BA, .723 OPS, 17 HR, 41 RBI.

From there, he’s been all over the country, and definitely gets around the West Coast. Since 2022, Ford has played for the San Francisco Giants (2022), Seattle Mariners (2022, 2023), Atlanta Braves (2022), LA Dodgers (2022) and the Cincinnati Reds (2024). Most recently, he has been playing in the Japanese League.

In 781 career MLB plate appearances, Mike Ford holds a .205 BA and .700 OPS. He’s jacked 37 total home runs, struck out 203 times and driven in 89 runners. He’s also a minus defender (-1 run above average in his career).

In 17 games last season with the Reds, he hit .150 with 1 HR and 4 RBI. These are the free agents the Minnesota Twins can currently afford. In other words, Ford is a strikeout-prone fringe MLB power hitter who probably won’t hit over .200.