Giants acquire infielder Ford in trade with Mariners originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants are getting so thin because of injuries and a COVID-19 outbreak that they had backup catcher Curt Casali taking grounders at first base before Friday’s game. On Saturday, they made a move to get some temporary help.
Infielder Mike Ford was acquired from the Seattle Mariners for cash considerations. Ford had been designated for assignment earlier this week by the Mariners, and as they have done often recently, the Giants made a cash deal to jump the line since they don’t have a good waiver priority.
Ford, 29, actually has a fair amount of big-league experience, having played 101 games for the New York Yankees over the last three seasons. He briefly was a breakout star in New York, hitting 12 homers in just 50 games in 2019, but he has hit .134 with five homers in 51 games since that season.
Ford signed a minor league deal with the Mariners in March and was off to a hot start in Triple-A. In 11 games for Tacoma, he had a .892 OPS with a couple of homers.
Ford was added to the Giants’ active roster Saturday, although he wasn’t in the starting lineup. To clear a spot, the Giants sent outfielder Ka’ai Tom back to Triple-A. They will continue to shuffle the roster in the next few days as they wait for players to return. Belt was put on the COVID list on Friday and is likely out through the series in Los Angeles next week, although Mike Yastrzemski and LaMonte Wade Jr. — an option at first base — should return soon.