The Mariners traded catcher Harry Ford to the Nationals earlier today as part of a deal for lefty reliever Jose A. Ferrer. In the wake of that move, the club is open to a reunion with free agent Mitch Garver, according to Adam Jude of the Seattle Times.
Garver, who turns 35 in January, just played out the final season of a two-year, $24MM deal originally signed in December 2023. At the time, the Mariners envisioned him as a primary DH and a backup to Cal Raleigh behind the plate. Garver did not live up to those expectations on offense, however, as he posted an 88 wRC+ in 720 plate appearances across 2024-25. His contract contained a $12MM mutual option for 2026, though the club unsurprisingly declined their end of the option last month, instead paying Garver a $1MM buyout and making him a free agent.
In 2025, Garver batted .209/.297/.343 with an 86 wRC+ in 290 plate appearances across 87 games. He shaved a few points off his strikeout rate, going from 30.9% last year to 27.6% this year, while his walk rate declined slightly from 12.3% to a still-above-average 10.3%. His offensive output was more or less a repeat of 2024, when he posted an 89 wRC+ in 430 plate appearances. That kind of production is not unreasonable for a backup catcher, although it’s not what the Mariners expected from Garver, who was considered a bat-first player at the time of his signing and was coming off a 2023 season with the Rangers in which he posted a 142 wRC+ with 19 home runs.
Defensively, Garver started 42 games behind the plate this year, covering 376 2/3 innings. While Raleigh was worth 2 Defensive Runs Saved this year and graded out as the third-best pitch framer among qualified catchers, Garver was worth -6 DRS and was considered a below-average framer. He also drew negative marks from Statcast on his blocking and caught stealing rates, while his average pop time was in just the 4th percentile. In truth, Garver has never been a strong defender. He last graded out positively by DRS in the COVID-shortened 2020 season. It’s unlikely that his defense will improve as he plays into his mid-30s.
At this point, any signing team would have to hope for an offensive rebound. That said, there are some encouraging signs in Garver’s offensive profile. He posted a hard-hit rate of 46.9% in 2025, a full six points above the league average of 40.9%. He also brought up his average exit velocity to 91.5 mph after sitting at 89.9 mph in 2024. For Garver, the key will be boosting his performance against four-seam fastballs. He posted a 163 wRC+ against the pitch in 2024 but just a 77 wRC+ against four-seamers this year. Some decline is natural for a player of his age, though it’s also fair to expect positive regression given his track record.
A lower-cost reunion with Garver would make sense for the Mariners. With Ford now traded to the Nationals and catching prospects Luke Stevenson and Josh Caron only at Single-A, there is no clear backup to Raleigh on the roster. With the $12MM mutual option having been declined, a one-year deal for $6-8MM would be a reasonable sum to re-sign Garver for that role. RosterResource currently pegs the Mariners for a $151MM payroll in 2026, with about $15MM to go before they match their 2025 spending.
Photo courtesy of Dan Hamilton, Imagn Images
No no no oh no.. The guy is toast, stick a fork in him.. trash
He is an ok backup catcher and would deserve a salary of $1.5 to $2 million based upon recent contracts for light hitting backup veteran catchers.
You can do better
You’re going to spend $6 million to get Garver when you could have had Ford for the minimum?
But then they wouldn’t have the reliever they got in the trade, who they clearly wanted.
We could’ve (should’ve) done different prospects if we were in love with ferrer that much
6 to 8 million for a backup catcher who proved he cannot hit in Seattle and is a poor defender seems ludicrous.
Mariners have budget constraints and more pressing needs.
Jonah Heim is a better veteran option than Garver, especially if you could draw him to Seattle with a one-year deal for $5MM or less.
Why, why, why and why? And could I get whatever drugs Hollander and DiPoto are on? It would be nice to be completely absolutely out of my mind for a bit. Justin’s wife and daughter come and eat at the country club I work at often. If they resign Garver, I’ll be waiting for him to show up. I’ll have some questions
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
You took the word right out of my mouth.
I can’t see him getting anything other than a million or two. A 35-year old catcher with poor defense and a below average bat isn’t in demand. The only way the Mariners should even consider this is if our pitchers like throwing to him.
While I don’t have a problem with bringing Garver back, it’s ludicrous to suggest $6-8M for a back up catcher that is coming off a horrible season offensive and defensively. The M’s would be out of their minds. Garver caught 43 games last year. I don’t have a problem with that. It’s his 39 games at DH that I do have a particular issue with however.
Polanco is and SHOULD be their main focus.
Actually Murakami or Okamoto should be their main focus. Polanco probably comes back regardless unless there is a team willing to over pay for him
Please no more Garver!
There are 18 other free agent catchers. You can do better jerry
.Love Garver, good club hs guy, brings intangibles, due for a rebound
If Jerry is serious about bringing Garver back, I’m going to switch allegiance to a new team.
Later
Notice it says Mariners. Not one word about Mariner fans. I think the popcorn vendor in section 107 would do a better job!!
I think I’d have rather had Ford as a back up and taught him a secondary position. You also don’t have minor league catching options and will now have to fill that as well. M’s already Aced the off-season with resigning Naylor. Garver back should be at a very very steep discount.
Something tells me they have a vet all but finalized at C.
I don’t want to see Mitch “below mendoza line” garver for another year
Jonah heim is a much better option
Heim is going to want to go somewhere where can get at least semi-regular playing time. Not Sure Seattle is that place
With Raleigh the backup Catcher is basically the 26th man on the roster. Why spend $6-8 million on Garver when you could spend significantly less on Matt Thaiss, Reese McGuire, or Austin Wynns?