The Washington Nationals have been making a lot of moves so far in the 2025-2026 offseason. While they have not exactly been the most riveting team to follow on the free agent front, as has become par for the course over the last few years, they have made some very smart acquisitions that could pay dividends down the line.
While there could be some truth that the Nationals have yet to make their most important moves of the offseason yet as maybe new President of Baseball Operations Paul Toboni has some tricks up his sleeve, it also is equally possible that the Nationals have already made their most exciting acquisition of the offseason.
That acquisition might have come in the form of catcher Harry Ford, who they got in a deal from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for lefty reliever Jose A. Ferrer. It was a move Nationals fans had dreamed of, as Ford had no clear path to consistent playing time in Seattle behind MVP candidate Cal Raleigh, and the Nationals had a clear need to upgrade at catcher from their incumbent duo of Keibert Ruiz and Riley Adams.
Ford can be the new generation version of Wilson Ramos, who was a top prospect blocked by an MVP-caliber catcher while he was on the Minnesota Twins behind Joe Mauer. Ramos was traded for Nationals closer Matt Capps, and all Ramos did was go on to be the best catcher the Nationals have had to this point in their short history. If Ford can be close to that, the trade will be a home run for the Nationals long-term.
Luckily for Nationals fans, the team has a chance to get a good look at their backstop of the future in action before the season starts, as he has officially committed to play for Great Britain again in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, which begins March 5th. Hopefully he can stay healthy and replicate his breakout performance he had back in 2023, where he put himself on the map with a huge showing.
In just 4 games and 15 plate appearances, Ford posted a .308/.400/.846 slash line, good for a 1.246 OPS to go along with 2 homers, 4 RBIs, and a pair of walks drawn as well. He was barely 20-years-old at the time, but showed tremendous poise under the pressure of a huge tournament, and absolutely delivered for his country. Hopefully he can show off even more of his sky-high potential and can make Nationals fans excited for the future.
Will you be watching Harry Ford this year in the World Baseball Classic? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.