Reports: Mariners reach two-year, $24 million deal with C/DH Mitch Garver
PHOENIX, AZ - NOVEMBER 01: Mitch Garver #18 of the Texas Rangers bats during Game 5 of the 2023 World Series between the Texas Rangers and the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on Wednesday, November 1, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Daniel Sh
The Seattle Mariners have reached an agreement with former Texas Rangers catcher/designated hitter Mitch Garver on a two-year, $24 million contract, according to multiple reports.
The deal was first reported by Jeff Passan of ESPN.com.
Garver has been a productive hitter at times, but has struggled to stay healthy during parts of seven seasons in the majors. The 102 games played with the Minnesota Twins in 2018 serve as the highest total of his career.
Garver played in 82 games for the Rangers last season. The majority of his games came as a designated hitter with just 28 games behind the plate. Garver was a .270 hitter last season with 19 home runs and 50 RBI and an .870 on-base-plus-slugging (OPS) percentage.
Garver earned a Silver Slugger award while with the Twins in 2019 after setting career-highs with a .273 batting average, 31 home runs, 67 RBI and an OPS of .995. He hit .226 with three home runs and 14 RBI in 14 postseason games with Texas last year en route to winning the World Series.
Garver is the first significant free agent addition to the Mariners this offseason after the team spent the early stages of the offseason shedding payroll. Seattle dumped over $30 million in salary commitment for the 2024 season by trading Eugenio Suárez to the Arizona Diamondbacks, and having to part with outfielder Jarred Kelenic in order to move the contracts of Marco Gonzales and Evan White to the Atlanta Braves. The team also did not extend a qualifying offer to outfielder Teoscar Hernández in another cost cutting move.
The addition of Garver is the first step in back filling some of the departures from the roster, but the team will likely need more offensive additions just to get back to the ceiling the team had last season.