The New York Yankees announced on Thursday afternoon that they traded infielder Mike Ford to the Tampa Bay Rays for cash considerations and a player to be named later.
Ford will report to Triple-A Durham and added to the Rays’ 40-man roster. To make room for him, Tampa placed pitcher Tyler Glasnow on the 60-day injured list after partially tearing his UCL — an injury he blamed on MLB’s foreign-substance crackdown.
The 28-year-old had failed to live up to initial promising expectations that he created during the 2019 season, when he batted .259 with 12 home runs and 25 RBI with a .909 OPS in 50 games. He was a gift for a Yankees team that had been ravaged by injuries and still won 100 games.
But over the last two years, Ford’s numbers have plummeted, batting just .134 with five home runs and 16 RBI in a combined 51 games.
Seeing time at first base this season as Luke Voit has battled injuries this season, Ford recorded just five hits in his previous 51 plate appearances before the Yankees designated him for assignment earlier this week.
Despite the struggles, there will be a certain amount of intrigue with Ford going to the Rays. Not only are they a divisional opponent that the Yankees are chasing, but the Rays have shown a brilliant track record of getting the most out of reclamation projects or write-offs from other organizations.
