Overview
- Associated Press reporter Kristie Ackert reported that Tampa Bay hired Ford for a front-office position that includes mentoring prospects, with the specific title not disclosed.
- The hire points to Ford stepping away from the field, which would leave him with 37 career home runs in 252 Major League games.
- Ford last appeared in MLB with the Reds in 2024, then joined the Twins’ camp before playing 25 games in Japan for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars.
- An undrafted Princeton signee in 2012, Ford broke through with the Yankees in 2019 and posted a .953 OPS with 11 home runs over a late-season 39-game surge.
- The Rays add a veteran who moved through multiple organizations and hit a career-high 16 homers for the Mariners in 2023, experience that could aid Tampa Bay’s player-development pipeline.