That the option was rejected is hardly a surprise; mutual options are exercised very rarely to begin with, and for a long time the Mariners were expected to decline their share of the option. Garver initially signed in Seattle on a two-year deal worth $24 million. That remains the club’s largest outlay for a free agent hitter under president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto, though they have invested significantly more in extensions for players like Julio Rodriguez And Cal Raleigh.
Unfortunately, Garver’s deal with the Mariners did not go particularly well. He hit a mediocre .187/.290/.341 in 201 games as a Mariner, good for a wRC+ of just 88. Although he hit 24 home runs in 720 plate appearances and walked at a healthy 11.5% clip, he struck out 29.6% of the time while posting a line drive rate well below his career norms. That combination of an increased strikeout rate and a deflated BABIP was simply too much for his strength and discipline to overcome when it came to being an above-average hitter for Seattle.
While an 88 wRC+ is below average, it is still generally acceptable offensive production from a backup catcher, which is the role Garver has played for the majority of this year. However, he was not paid as a backup and the Mariners saw him as a primary DH who could also make occasional starts behind the plate at the time of the signing. There was some logic in signing Garver to that role, as he had just put together an explosive 2023 season with the Rangers, where he slashed .270/.370/.500 with 19 home runs in just 87 games, but the results of that deal are undeniably disappointing.
Now entering his age-35 season, Garver returns to free agency in a much different place than last time. No team is going to invest in a multi-year deal to make him their starting DH. However, that doesn’t mean a big league deal is off the table, and Garver should benefit substantially from a weak catch market. While Garver rates across the board as a below-average defender behind the plate, the pop he has shown in his bat over the years could be enticing for a team that needs to add strength to the lineup and has a hole behind the plate. The veteran is far from the first hitter to struggle in the pitching-friendly environment of T-Mobile Park, and teams might think getting him from Seattle could help him bounce back somewhat offensively.
In a market with virtually no depth behind it JT Realmuto, Danny JansenAnd Victor Caratiniit’s not at all difficult to see a catching-hungry team bringing Garver into the fold. The Padres, Astros and Rays are known to need help, and teams like the Rangers and Red Sox could join them depending on the decisions these clubs make on arbitration-level players who could potentially be non-tender or trade candidates.
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