5 recently non-tendered players the Blue Jays need to sign ASAP

4) Mike Ford

When Mike Ford first played in the Majors in 2019, he made an immediate positive impression. Appearing in 50 games for the Yankees, he produced a .259/.350/.559 slash line, .909 OPS and 137 OPS+.

This tied into the more pure and feel good side of professional sports, as Ford had gone undrafted in 2012 before signing for the Yankees. However, he was unable to build on this promising rookie season and was eventually traded to the Rays in 2021.

This started a period where the 31-year-old moved teams more frequently than some people have hot dinners. The merry-go-round finally calmed down (to a certain extent) when he signed with the Mariners organisation for a third time, in January this year.

Ford excelled in Triple-A Tacoma and exercised the opt-out clause in his contract at the beginning of June, then joined the Mariners roster. He went on to appear in his most ever games at the Major League level.

The left-handed bat had single-season bests, with 16 home runs, 34 RBI and 24 walks. He also had a .228/.323/.475 slash line, .798 OPS and 122 OPS+, which were all the best since his rookie year.

Ford saw most of his playing time as a DH, as he revitalised a position which had struggled for the Mariners in 2023 up to that point. He did also spend some time at first base, which was his position growing up. (He can also pitch in an emergency situation.)

The Belle Mead, New Jersey native does offer some upside for the right team. He is renowned as a patient hitter, although he still doesn't make contact on a consistent enough basis with the bat.

In terms of getting some idea of the financial expectations with Ford, his contract was worth one year and $720K this past season. He was projected to get around $1.5 million in 2024, which is reasonable enough if the Blue Jays want to make a move for him.