The Giants have traded for first baseman Mike Ford ahead of Saturday’s game against the Nationals. Ford, 29, will be active for the afternoon game, the club announced.
Ford was originally signed by the New York Yankees as an undrafted free agent out of Princeton University. After reaching the big leagues and playing parts of three seasons with New York, he had stints with Tampa Bay, Washington and then Seattle.
In his career, Ford has played 101 MLB games. He’s hit .199 with 17 home runs in 319 plate appearances.
Ford marks the third unconventional transaction the Giants have made in recent days. First, they traded cash for Mariners infielder Kevin Padlo, choosing to buy his rights instead of letting him go to waivers (the Giants have a low waiver claim due to their 2021 record). They then claimed Darien Núñez shortly after the pitcher had undergone Tommy John surgery, only to release him days later.
The dizzying amount of minor transactions come as the Giants have been ravaged by injuries and positive COVID-19 cases. The list of players currently sidelined includes Evan Longoria, Tommy La Stella, LaMonte Wade Jr., Alex Cobb, Joc Pederson, Brandon Belt, Steven Duggar, Mike Yastrzemski, Zack Littell, Dominic Leone and Anthony DeSclafani.