When the Nationals traded relief pitcher Jose A. Ferrer to acquire catching prospect Harry Ford from the Mariners, it sent shockwaves across the baseball community. Although Ferrer appeared to be a potential breakout candidate out of the bullpen, Ford provides much-needed upside to a position at which Washington has been among the league's worst over the past couple years.
With that said, there has been some belief that incumbent backstop Keibert Ruiz might be able to bounce back due to coaching changes that have been made this offseason. It's clear that the Nationals aren't counting on Ruiz reaching the potential the Nationals thought he had when they acquired him from the Dodgers in 2021, but it wouldn't be shocking if we haven't seen the best of him yet.