Mariners Skipper Weighs In On Recent Controversial Trade Addition

Dan Wilson can't wait to unleash Jose A. Ferrer

Oct 17, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners manager Dan Wilson (6) speaks to the media after game five of the ALCS round against the Toronto Blue Jays for the 2025 MLB playoffs at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Not every trade is perfectly well received by every fan base, but in every situation, we need to see the results play out on the field.

Last week, the Mariners acquired left-handed reliever Jose A. Ferrer from the Washington Nationals for top catching prospect Harry Ford and right-handed pitching prospect Isaac Lyon. It was a move that had many scratching their heads, not knowing that evidently, Ford's value on the trade market as he was blocked by Cal Raleigh at the big-league level.

It's also clear that the Mariners believe the ground-ball specialist Ferrer can be a major help to their bullpen next season, which needed additional left-handed support for setup man Gabe Speier.

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Dan Wilson speaks in favor of Ferrer trade

During the winter meetings, Mariners manager Dan Wilson gave a ringing endorsement of the Ferrer acquisition, not only pointing to the need in the bullpen, but to how an additional lefty would help combat the way opposing teams tend to attack their starters when building lineups.

“This, I think, does set us up really well,” Wilson said, per Daniel Kramer of MLB.com. “There are teams that really stack the lineup with lefties, especially against our right-handed starters. And to be able to kind of thwart that at different times in the game is going to be huge.”

For how talented the Mariners' pitching staff was this season, it was unbelievably skewed toward righties. All five regular starters were right-handed, and in the playoffs, it was clear Speier was the only southpaw Wilson trusted.

If Ford becomes the Nationals' everyday catcher and posts even two-to-three-WAR seasons for the next half-decade, the Mariners will have "lost" this trade purely from a value perspective. But Ford wasn't getting them much close to winning a World Series in the next couple of seasons.

If the market for Ford dictated that Ferrer was the best player the Mariners could find, they're better off for having pulled the trigger.

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