The Mariners Thursday selected left-handed hitting 1B Mike Ford from the New York Yankees in the major league phase of the Rule 5 draft. Any player taken in the major league phase must be kept on the club’s 25-man MLB roster for the entirety of the following season. If the player does not remain active for a minimum of 90 days, he must be offered back to the team from which he was selected.
Ford, 25, split 2017 between AA Trenton and AAA Scranton Wilkes-Barre in the Yankees organization. He combined to hit .270 with 80 runs, 24 doubles, one triple, 20 home runs, 86 RBIs, a .404 on-base percentage and a .471 slugging mark in 126 games. Ford was an Eastern League All-Star for Trenton.
In five minor league seasons, all in the Yankees organization, he hit .272 with 50 home runs and 257 RBIs. The Yankees signed Ford as a non-drafted free agent in July of 2013 after he played at Princeton University, where he was a teammate of Tyler Servais, son of the Mariners manager Scott Servais.
The Mariners in November traded with Oakland for Ryon Healy to be the full-time first baseman. Last year’s tandem, Danny Valencia and Yonder Alonso, became free agents.
In the AAA phase of the Rule 5 draft, held in conjunction with the annual winter meetings in at Disney World in Florida, the Mariners selected C Joseph Odom from Atlanta and C Tyler Baker and LHP Lane Ratliff from Arizona.
Mariners off-season transactions
Oct. 31: Outrighted RHP Casey Lawrence to AAA Tacoma.
Nov. 2: Claimed INF/OF Andrew Romine off waivers from Detroit; reinstated RHP David Phelps and LHP Drew Smyly from the 60-day disabled list; announced that 1B Yonder Alonso, OF Jarrod Dyson, INF Gordon Beckham, C Carlos Ruiz and 1B Danny Valencia had become free agents; declined 2018 options on RHPs Hisashi Iwakuma and Yovani Gallardo.
Nov. 3: Claimed INF Zach Vincej off waivers.
Nov. 7: Outrighted Vincej to Tacoma.
Nov. 14: Hired Jim Brower as an assistant coach.
Nov. 15: Acquired INF Ryon Healy from Oakland in exchange for RHP Emilio Pagan and and INF Alexander Campos.
Nov. 27: Signed RHP Hisashi Iwakuma to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
Nov. 30: Claimed LHP Sam Moll off waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Dec. 4: Hired Brian Delunas as bullpen coach.
Dec. 6: Traded catching prospect David Banuelos to the Twins in exchange for $1 million in international bonus money. Banuelos had been ranked 10th among Seattle’s major league prospects by MLB.com.
Dec. 7: Acquired two-time All-Star Dee Gordon and $1 million in international slot money from Miami in exchange for RHP Robert Dugger, RHP Nick Neidert and INF Christopher Torres.
Dec. 8: Claimed RHP Mike Morin off waivers from Kansas City.
Dec. 10: Released RHP Seth Frankoff to allow Frankoff to pursue a career in South Korea.
Dec. 11: Claimed OF Cameron Perkins off waivers from Philadelphia.
Dec. 13: Acquired RHP Shawn Armstrong from Cleveland and LHP Anthony Misiewicz from Tampa Bay, both for international slot money.
Dec. 14: Selected 1B Mike Ford from the Yankees in the Rule 5 Draft; selected C Joseph Odom from Atlanta and C Tyler Baker and LHP Lane Ratliff from Arizona in the AAA portion of the Rule 5 Draft.
