More high praise is in for new Nationals catcher Harry Ford, pitcher Luis Perales after grading among the best prospects who were traded this winter
While the offseason has largely centered around a handful of minor moves with Foster Griffin serving as the first official free agent acquisition by the new leadership team, the Washington Nationals also acquired among the best prospects who were on the move this offseason.
Both catcher Harry Ford and right handed pitcher Luis Perales rank among the five best prospects traded this winter with Ford checking in at third overall and Perales at fourth overall, per Baseball America.
Ford also ranks as the 42nd-best prospect and the second-best prospect in the Nationals' farm system behind shortstop Eli Willits, who was the top overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft. Right handed pitchers Travis Sykora and Jarlin Susana round out the Nationals' top 100 prospects, per MLB.com.
Ford arrived in a trade with the Seattle Mariners, sending reliever Jose Ferrar in exchange with minor league pitcher Isaac Lyon also included in the haul for the Nationals.
ESPN was bullish on the Nationals' haul when reviewing the trade, noting that Ford "should be a significant upgrade at a position that saw the Nationals rank 29th in the majors in OPS." Ford leaves Seattle after becoming the second-highest drafted catcher in the 2021 MLB Draft with limited production and plenty of tools to become a candidate as the Nationals' catcher in 2026.
With Triple-A Tacoma last season, Ford batted .283 with 16 home runs, 18 doubles, 74 RBIs and seven stolen bases with a .984 fielding percentage and 23.5% caught-stealing rate. His .405 on-base percentage and 339 walks ranked second among qualified minor leaguers since the start of 2022.
“Our hope is that we look up a couple years from now and see him as an impactful defensive catcher,” Toboni said of Ford. “It’ll take work, but I know he’ll embrace it, our staff will embrace it.”
“I love that I’m going to get a chance to fight for a spot on the team,” Ford told local media earlier this month when asked about his reaction to the trade. “I know the other catchers, Ruiz and [Riley] Adams, and so I’m really glad and excited to get to work with them as well. But I am thankful for the chance to be, I guess, a little more in the conversation than in Seattle.”
Shortly after, the Nationals acquired Perales in exchange for left handed pitcher Jake Bennett, who also graded as the eighth-best prospect traded this winter. It also marked the first trade with Boston since Paul Toboni left the Red Sox for his role with the Nationals.
"It's actually a lot easier I think just because I think it starts with the relationship that [Boston CBO Craig Breslow] and I have. I think you can cut through a lot of the fluff to just kind of get to the meat of it. And then two, yeah, it was fun because you're trading for a player that you know really well, both just like the baseball talent but also the person. So it was a combination of - I wouldn't say seamless, but pretty efficient in our conversations. And then also you feel secure about kind of the player you're getting in return because [of] your familiarity with them."