The Seattle Mariners proved they are in the “Open your presents on Christmas Eve” club when they reached an agreement with free agent Mitch Garver on Sunday afternoon.
The Mariners are reportedly finalizing a deal with slugger Mitch Garver
The two-year, $24 million contract is still pending and is not expected to be officially announced until after the holidays.
The signing is the first by the Mariners this winter and also the longest contract for a free agent hitter in the Jerry Dipoto era. With the Mariners planning to use Garver primarily as a designated hitter, the signing also represents a departure from the player rotation philosophy the team has adopted since the departure of Nelson Cruz following the 2018 season.
With the move, Dipoto and general manager Justin Hollander begin rebuilding a roster depleted following the salary deals of Eugenio Suárez and Jarred Kelenic and the free agency of Teoscar Hernández. There's certainly room for the bat Garver brings with him.
Hitting .270/.370/.500 for an .870 OPS and a 138 wRC+ for the world champion Texas Rangers last season, Garver would have been at the top of all Mariners' all-time leaderboards in on-base percentage with 300 or more plate appearances. Hit and OPS. He ranked eighth in wRC+ and 21st in slugging among right-handed hitters in the MLB with 300 or more PA. At 25.6%, Garver's performance featured some strikeouts, but his chase rate was elite in 1923, ranking in the 98th percentile.
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The trick will be keeping him healthy and that has been a challenge. He spends most of his time as a catcher and has suffered a number of injuries over the last two years with both the Twins, who he created, and the Rangers. Due to numerous injuries, Garver has never played more than 102 games in a season, most recently a knee sprain that kept him out of the Rangers' roster for two months last season. Removing the fishing gear could help significantly.
It's a solid move for the Mariners and hopefully one that will be viewed in retrospect as a good first move to restructure the roster after the mini-teardown. If Garver can stay healthy, his past history suggests he can easily replace and outperform any of the three aforementioned hitters who are out of the lineup.
One down, at least one more as the players have to stay in the outfield. For now, a bit of a break in a tumultuous offseason and a promising sign with the Mariners signing a much-needed free agent hitter.
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