Mariners and catcher Mitch Garver finalizing minor league deal, AP source says

By Canadian Press on February 18, 2026.

SEATTLE (AP) — The Seattle Mariners and catcher Mitch Garver are finalizing a minor league contract, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal was pending a physical and had not been announced.

The 35-year-old Garver is expected to compete with Andrew Knizner and Jhonny Pereda to back up Seattle catcher Cal Raleigh, the runner-up for AL MVP last year. Garver spent the last two seasons as Raleigh’s backup, though he signed with the Mariners initially to serve as their primary designated hitter.

Across two seasons with Seattle, Garver has batted .187 with 24 home runs, 81 RBIs and a .632 OPS in 201 games. The 2019 Silver Slugger award winner is a .233 career hitter with 106 homers and 309 RBIs in nine major league seasons.

Garver hit a career-high 31 home runs with the Minnesota Twins in 2019, and won a World Series with the Texas Rangers in 2023.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Andrew Destin, The Associated Press

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