Free-agent catcher/designated hitter Mitch Garver has signed a two-year, $24 million cope with the Seattle Mariners, reports ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
Garver heads to his age-33 season having established his skill to be an influence bat towards the center of an order whereas additionally filling in behind the plate if want be. He is additionally been hampered by a litany of accidents in his MLB profession. He is solely appeared in additional than 100 video games as soon as and that was 102 video games in 2018. A forearm damage that required surgical procedure held him to 54 video games in 2022 and final season he handled foot and knee accidents. He appeared in 87 regular-season video games, although he additionally performed in 14 playoff video games.
When Garver does play, he has enormous energy. He homered 31 occasions in simply 93 video games in 2019 and hit 19 in 296 at-bats throughout the common season final yr. He slashed .270/.370/.500 final season, good for a 134 OPS+. In his 60 playoff plate appearances, he hit .226, but in addition homered 3 times with 14 RBI in 14 video games.
Garver is generally a bat at this level. He caught simply 28 occasions final season and the final time, together with the playoffs, was Sept. 2. He solely caught 14 occasions in 2022. Many groups have been going with a three-man setup of beginning catcher, backup catcher after which another person who can deal with catching duties in an emergency. That is the place the World Sequence champion Rangers had him final season and Garver is greatest served for use as a DH and emergency catcher shifting ahead.
The Mariners have Cal Raleigh planted firmly behind dwelling plate, which means Garver will probably spend most of his enjoying time at DH whereas permitting Raleigh a while off when he wants it. After ending in third place within the AL West final season and simply lacking out on the ultimate wild-card spot, Seattle wants some oomph in its offense, particularly after buying and selling away Eugenio Suárez and Jarred Kelenic.
