Report: Former Mariners catcher Mitch Garver retires

Former Seattle Mariners catcher Mitch Garver has retired, according to a report from minnesotasportsfan.com’s Ted Schwerzler.

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Garver, 35, spent the final three seasons of his big league career with the Mariners. Over 251 games in Seattle, he slashed .185/.292/.33 with a .626 OPS, 28 homers, 25 doubles and 96 RBIs while accumulating 0.1 bWAR.

He was released by the Mariners on Aug. 4 of this past season and later signed a minor-league contract with the New York Yankees, but he did not appear in MLB game for New York.

Garver initially signed with Seattle on a two-year, $24 million deal in December 2023 following a run to the World Series title with the Texas Rangers. He was brought in to be the Mariners’ full-time designated hitter, but after prolonged struggles in his first season of the contract, he was demoted to backup catcher and part-time DH duties.

Garver re-signed with Seattle on a minor-league deal in spring training this year before making the club as the backup catcher.

Perhaps the biggest moment in Garver’s Mariners tenure came during Game 5 of the 2025 American League Division Series when he hit a go-ahead sacrifice fly of Detroit’s Tarik Skubal in the bottom of the second inning to put Seattle up 1-0 in an eventual 3-2 victory in 15 innings.

A ninth-round pick in the 2013 draft, Garver finished his 10-year career with a .229/.325/.432 slash line and 110 homers over 701 games Minnesota Twins, Rangers and Mariners. He won a World Series title with Texas in 2023.

Garver’s best year came in 2019 when he won a Sliver Slugger with Minnesota. The right-handed-hitting backstop slashed .273/.365/.630 that season while posting career highs in OPS (.995), home runs (31), RBIs (67) and bWAR (4.3).

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