Mariners agree to 2-year contract with catcher Mitch Garver

Mitch Garver is moving to Seattle, giving the Mariners one of the majors’ strongest catching situations.

Garver agreed to a $24 million, two-year contract Sunday. A person familiar with the deal confirmed the move to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because it was pending a physical.

The 32-year-old Garver batted .270 with 19 homers and 50 RBIs in 87 games for Texas this year. He hit .226 with three homers and 14 RBIs in 14 postseason games, helping the Rangers win the World Series for the first time in franchise history.

Cal Raleigh served as Seattle’s starting catcher this season, and he set career highs with 30 homers and 75 RBIs in 145 games. Garver could step in as the team’s designated hitter while backing up Raleigh behind the plate.

Seattle also has Seby Zavala, who was acquired in a trade with Arizona in November.

The Mariners went 88-74 this year, finishing third in the AL West. It made the playoffs as a wild card in 2022 and advanced to the AL Division Series before it was swept by Houston.

Garver was selected by Minnesota in the ninth round of the 2013 amateur draft out of the University of New Mexico. He made his big league debut with the Twins in 2017.

Garver is a .252 hitter with 82 homers and 228 RBIs in 451 career big league games. He had his best season in 2019, when he batted .273 with 31 homers and 67 RBIs for Minnesota.