Mike Ford activates opt-out with Reds

TODAY: The Reds will release Ford, reports Jon Heyman (via X).

MAY 1: First baseman Mike Ford has exercised an opt-out clause in his minor league deal with the Reds, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The team now has 48 hours to decide whether to select Ford for the big league roster or release him.

The 31-year-old Ford had a huge spring training performance with Cincinnati and has carried that into the regular season at Triple-A Louisville. The slugger stomped at a ridiculous .455/.486/.727 clip and hit three home runs in 31 spring plate appearances. He is now hitting .297/.381/.538 with six home runs for the Bats and has drawn four walks at a solid 11.4% clip against a manageable 19.4% strikeout rate.

Ford’s strong spring and Triple-A production follows strong performances with the 2023 Mariners. He hit just .228, but reached base at a .323 clip and hit .475 in 251 trips to the plate. The longtime Yankees farmhand circled the bases last year with 16 home runs and also hit six doubles. His 9.6% walk rate was better than league average, but his 32.3% strikeout rate was well above average and was a notable red flag.

Ford has long had plus power and questionable contact rates. That makes this year’s small roster in Triple-A worth some skepticism, but also intriguing for the Reds or any other team looking for a cheap source of lefty power — whether off the bench or in a more prominent role at first base/designated hitter. . Ford hasn’t faced many lefties in his career, but he torched them in 24 at-bats last year and has actually done better against other lefties in his career overall. It’s only 108 plate appearances, but he’s a .268/.343/.577 hitter against lefties compared to .200/.303/.389 against righties (in a much larger sample of 611 plate appearances).

For the Reds, there could be some temptation to bring Ford to the big league roster. Christian Encarnacion-Beach has made 25 starts at first base, but is hitting just .196/.222/.314 with a 28.7% strikeout rate and just 2.8% walk rate in 108 plate appearances. The former top prospect had a nice debut in 2023 (.270/.328/.477 in 241 plate appearances) but was 57% worse than average at the plate in ’24, as measured by wRC+.

Designated hitter/outfielder Nick Martini has also cooled down after a blistering start to the season; he homered twice in the season opener and hit .290/.303/.677 through his first 33 at-bats, but managed just five hits in 46 subsequent at-bats. Martini has a minor league option remaining, but could be a DFA candidate given his journeyman status. Encarnacion-Strand has three minor league option years left if Cincinnati is willing to give him a breather in Louisville to get back on track. Speculatively, in the short term it makes sense to replace Ford with Martini or Encarnacion-Strand.