Mariners Reportedly 'Considering' Acquiring Nationals Rising Star Reliever in Trade
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At the moment, the offseason rumors surrounding the Washington Nationals are about who they might or might not trade this winter.
MacKenzie Gore continues to be the name discussed most often. The left-handed ace is a clear target by multiple teams around the league and could be used to get more young talent into the farm system to jumpstart this rebuild. Discussions regarding Gore reportedly have already taken place, and with the Winter Meetings right around the corner, those should only intensify.
CJ Abrams is another player who teams are keeping their eye on. If the Nationals are interested in shipping out their star shortstop, they will have plenty of suitors and could also get back a strong return package for the 25-year-old.
However, another high-profile name has now been mentioned as a target.
Seattle Mariners Are Reportedly Eyeing Jose A. Ferrer
According to Adam Jude of The Seattle Times, the Seattle Mariners are "considering" Jose A. Ferrer as a potential trade target this offseason. The Mariners reportedly "will shop in the next tier of free-agent arms, while continuing to explore trade options," which is where Ferrer comes into play.
Jude mentions the package Washington will ask for in return will likely be a "hefty" one, which makes sense considering Ferrer still has two more seasons before he reaches arbitration and has huge stuff as a lefty coming out of the bullpen.
Would Nationals Consider Trading Jose A. Ferrer?
The Nationals don't have the luxury of shipping out bullpen arms like Ferrer. Their relief staff had the worst ERA in the MLB this year, and there aren't many reasons to think that unit will take a step forward in 2026 without a major overhaul.
Because of that, the thought of shipping Ferrer out of town isn't exactly a comfortable one. While he had his struggles at times, he produced an ERA of 4.48 across 72 outings. He doesn't have big-time strikeout stuff with just 71 K's in 76 1/3 innings pitched, but he only issued 18 walks and he had an expected ERA of 3.60 that suggests he got unlucky.
Washington could also view him as their closer of the future. He recorded 11 saves out of 13 opportunities in the second half of the season where his ERA was much better when he wasn't used as often.
“There’s no doubt he figures into the 2026 relief picture.”
— Nationals on MASN (@masnNationals) October 27, 2025
Jose A. Ferrer will enter 2026 aiming to build on his late-inning success and prove he can handle the closer role full time. https://t.co/qTeH2tfHOl pic.twitter.com/xP6hgHnLJH
All of that is to say, it's going to take a healthy offer to get the Nationals to think about trading him. However, that doesn't mean Paul Toboni and this front office won't ship him out of town if they get proposed something they think is worth it to make a deal.
What if Seattle offers Henry Ford? The catcher is their current fourth-ranked prospect who was once the top-ranked guy in their farm system back in 2023 and is considered the No. 42 overall prospect in baseball right now.
The Mariners might not offer that much in a deal, but if they do, then it would be hard for Toboni to not think about shipping out his rising star reliever to get someone who could be the catcher of their future.
A potential Ferrer trade is now another thing Washington fans need to monitor this winter, as it seems like teams around the league know some of the best players on this roster could be had for the right price and they are interested in seeing what it will take to land them.
