When the Nationals traded Jose A. Ferrer to the Mariners for Harry Ford on Dec. 6, 2025, the teams exchanged more than a pitcher-catcher combo.
They also swapped a pair of saxophone players.
“I saw he plays saxophone,” Ford said with a smile following the trade. “We haven’t talked to each other, but that is pretty interesting. I saw a picture of him playing. So that’s pretty funny.”
Ford, 22, began learning the saxophone in middle school. In Spring Training of 2024, MLB.com’s Mariners club reporter Daniel Kramer wrote: “Ford, a savvy saxophonist, was invited to be part of the team’s closed-door band performance for the second year in a row.”
“I have not met another guy that plays [the saxophone],” Ford said in December 2025. “I hardly play anymore, I play more guitar now. But I could whip it out, though.”
The 25-year-old Ferrer, on the other hand, pursued his interest in the instrument after reaching the Major Leagues. He was inspired by the sounds of some of his favorite music growing up in the Dominican Republic, including the bands of Yovanny Polanco, El Prodigio and Tatico Henríquez.
Ferrer purchased his first saxophone in May 2025 at a music shop in Washington, D.C. Without time during the baseball season for classes, he taught himself how to play by watching YouTube videos.
That season, Ferrer began practicing in the bullpen and inside the clubhouse hours before games. His melodic endeavors could be heard around stadiums early in the afternoon.
Ferrer was seen playing some tunes in the bullpen cart – fittingly, at T-Mobile Park in Seattle – which drew attention on the TV broadcast and online.
“I am going to focus,” Ferrer said at the time. “I’m going to take it seriously.”
The trade of two saxophone players meant the continuation of musical vibes in the Nationals and Mariners clubhouses.
“Music doesn’t have a language,” Nationals catcher Riley Adams said during the 2025 season. “It’s something that everybody can relate to. Then you start thinking of songs that have some saxophone in it, and it’s something you can talk about and bond over.”