Morosi makes case for Garver as a Mariners difference-maker in ’25

The Seattle Mariners’ offensive additions this offseason were limited, with veteran infielder Donovan Solano representing the lone addition of a hitter in free agency on a major league deal by Seattle.

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A year ago, though, the Mariners took a swing in free agency on a different veteran bat – one with much more power and even a Silver Slugger in his trophy case: Mitch Garver.

The M’s brought Garver in to serve as their primary designated hitter, but he struggled out of the gate and never fully recovered. Even though he was fifth on the team with 15 home runs, he ended the season not just with an alarming .172 batting average and his first negative-WAR season, but having had his role downgraded to the Mariners’ backup catcher.

The 34-year-old Garver goes into 2025 still in that backup catcher role, and expectations for him have understandably been tempered. But it wasn’t that long ago that he hit .270 with 19 homers in 87 games for the Texas Rangers, helping them win the 2023 World Series.

And that’s something that’s still in the back of the mind of MLB Network insider Jon Morosi.

Morosi was asked during his weekly Wednesday conversation with Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob which player outside of star center fielder Julio Rodríguez could make the biggest difference for the Mariners this year, and he made the case for Garver.

“I’ll say Mitch Garver, and the reason is that while you could make an argument for any number of players, Garver was brought in a year ago to be a middle of the order bat,” Morosi said, “to effectively form if not the foundation… then the fulcrum (of the lineup), if you will. To be there with (Jorge) Polanco, alongside what Cal Raleigh does and certainly Julio, and it just didn’t happen in Year 1. Did not happen.”

Garver won the American League Silver Slugger at catcher in 2019 after hitting 31 home runs with a .995 OPS in 93 games for the Minnesota Twins, but health has always been a concern with him. The Mariners hoped that playing him at DH would help keep him on the field, and it did – he played a career-high 114 games in 2024. Unfortunately, it came with the worst full-season offensive showing of his eight years in the big leagues.

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The Mariners aren’t counting on Garver now to provide the numbers they thought he would put up a year ago – which means that if he does bounce back, it would make a noticeable impact. And frankly, if the Mariners are going to get a surprise influx of power from anywhere on their roster, it’s a lot more likely to come from a hitter who has a 30-homer season on his résumé than a hitter who doesn’t.

“There are some teams that can that can swing and miss on a free agent and it doesn’t really sting you,” Morosi continued. “In this case, you need him to provide that thump because there’s not a lot of players in the organization (that can). The pipeline, they do have some prospects on the way – we’ve talked about (Colt) Emerson and (Cole) Young, and (Harry) Ford is another name certainly. But there’s not really, to this point, a bat that we would say is a corner (infield or outfield bat with) power, (who you can) put them down for 80-85 RBIs and even 15-20 home runs right now in the big leagues.

“They don’t really have a player like that. And so as a result, in my view Garver provides something that they do not readily have available to them elsewhere in the organization. And for that reason, I think he does present a really important dynamic and spot in that lineup for 2025.”

5-10% better

The Mariners have another player with the same first name and a track record of powerful production coming off of a rough season: Mitch Haniger. If either or both Mitches have even minimal resurgences in 2025, it would be a big help for a lineup that has a lot riding on the shoulders of its young star.

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“We’ve talked a lot about Julio,and I’m sure we will throughout the season,” Morosi said, “but 10% better of Mitch Garver, 10% better of Mitch Haniger will I think potentially render huge dividends for this team.

“… We’ve talked a lot about some of those crucial series that went against them late (last) year – that to me told the tale for this team, and why they got to that frustrating point of just barely missing the playoffs yet again. So it’s a matter of getting 5-10% better with guys that we already know are very good hitters.”

Hear the full Wyman and Bob conversation with MLB Network’s Jon Morosi in the podcast at this link or in the player near the top of this post. Catch Wyman and Bob from 2-7 p.m. weekdays on Seattle Sports, including all week from March 3-7 from Mariners spring training in Arizona.

More on the Seattle Mariners

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• Gilbert addresses if he would sign an extension with Seattle Mariners
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