Earlier this week, Garver said: “Cal reached out and said, “Maybe you should try calling the Mariners.” So we called Justin [Hollander, the Mariners’ GM]. We were able to work something out within 24 hours.Reports from December suggested Seattle had some interest in bringing Garver back, and that’s true Andreas Knizner was signed to a one-year deal with $1 million guaranteed, Garver’s return gives the M’s some more depth behind the plate.
Raleigh made 38 starts at DH last season as the Mariners wanted to give the slugger a break from catching duties while still keeping his power bat in the lineup. With a fresh and productive Raleigh being crucial to Seattle’s hopes, the team is looking to use the same tactics again in 2026, which would amply open the door for a backup catcher. It might not be out of the question that both Garver and Knizner are on the 26-man roster, although it’s more likely that the M’s stick with Raleigh and one backup as the catching corps.
Elsewhere in the Mariners camp, Adam Divish of the Seattle Times writes that prospect in the field Michael Arroyo will get some appearances at third baseman and left fielder once Arroyo returns from the national team with Colombia during the World Baseball Classic. Arroyo has never played in the outfield as a pro and appeared in a handful of games at the hot corner while playing for the Mariners’ Dominican Summer League team in 2022. Otherwise, Arroyo has played exclusively as a middle infielder and was only a second baseman and DH in the minors in 2025.
Heading into 2026, Baseball Prospectus ranks Arroyo as the 36th best minor leaguer in the sport, and The Athletic’s Keith Law (49th), ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel (62nd) and MLB Pipeline (67th) all have Arroyo in their preseason top 100 rankings. The consensus on Arroyo’s defense is that he could end up as a decent big league second baseman, although in between offseason acquisitions Brendan Donovan and a ton of other prospects in the field, it makes sense that the Mariners would want to increase Arroyo’s versatility.
2027 is probably the most likely date for Arroyo’s major league debut. He just turned 21 last November and had a modest .255/.376/.341 slash line over 250 PA with Double-A Arkansas in 2025. Arroyo’s approach at the plate is well liked by scouts, but he’ll need some bigger numbers in the minors (and likely a few injuries ahead of him on the depth chart) to get himself on the radar for a big-league call-up this year.
Out in a longer piece Ryan Divis, Bryce Molenaar reported good health and a normal offseason routine in the wake of an injury-plagued 2025 season. Miller was limited to 18 starts and 90 1/3 innings in 2025 due to a pair of stints on the injured list, while Miller battled bone spurs in his pitching elbow. Instead of a surgical option, Miller received a cortisone injection and a PRP injection to aid his recovery, and he capped his tough year on the high note of a 2.51 ERA over three starts and 14 1/3 innings during Seattle’s postseason run.
After the season, Miller said he received a Synvisc injection, which “like a gel, like a joint lubricant.” This allowed him to continue as normal this winter and possibly avoid surgery altogether.
“[Dr. Keith] Meister said, “Don’t touch it [Miller’s elbow]. If it feels good, don’t touch it‘, said Molenaar. ”Now that we know how to help it, if you feel something in the offseason or something in Spring Training or anything else during the year, just get another shot so we can get back to business now that we know how to fix it.” He advised not to do anything until I feel something and I haven’t felt anything.”
Miller is already hitting 96 mph during his live batting practice sessions, and he’s added 15 pounds of muscle in the offseason. Now entering his fourth MLB season, Miller looked like a breakout star when he had a 2.94 ERA over 180 1/3 innings with the Mariners in 2024 before his marks stunted his progress last year.
#Mariners #Notes #Garver #Arroyo #Miller