Mitch Garver’s story starts with a $40,000 bonus out of New Mexico that turned into a Silver Slugger Award and a World Series ring. Garver, a former Minnesota Twins catcher, built that run from a 2013 ninth-round pick and has closed it after 10 seasons.
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In a Wednesday post on X, Minnesota Sports Fan writer Ted Schwerzler relayed the news by writing, “Former Minnesota Twins catcher Mitch Garver has officially retired after a 10-year career.”
That 10-year label carries weight for a catcher who debuted at 26 amid doubts about his glove.
Garver had a career line of .229/.325/.432 with 110 HR and 324 RBIs in 701 games, enough to compensate for any weaknesses in the defensive department. The Twins protected him on the 40-man roster after 2016 to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft.
He had to earn that trust first.
Garver hit .196/.288/.348 in 52 plate appearances during his 2017 debut, then answered with seven homers and a .268/.335/.414 line in 2018 to set up his breakout year.
Nothing showcased that bat better than 2019.
Garver hit .273/.365/.630 with 31 homers in 93 games for the record-setting Bomba Squad, and his wRC+ landed 55% above league average despite that juiced ball season.
However, injuries soon affected his progress.
In 2020, he appeared in 23 of 60 games. Garver produced a 139 wRC+ in 2021, but the rise of young catcher Ryan Jeffers forced the Twins to trade him to the Texas Rangers.
A championship was soon added to his name. Garver hit 19 home runs in 296 at-bats in 2023 and produced a 142 wRC+ while adding three home runs in the postseason as the Rangers won their first championship ever.
That helped him sign a two-year, $24 million contract with the Seattle Mariners as a designated hitter in December 2023, although he managed just .187/.290/.341 in his two years and became a backup to catcher Cal Raleigh.
In 2025, Garver hit .209 with nine home runs, 30 RBIs, and an 85 OPS+ as a designated hitter for the American League West.
That season also delivered a signature October moment.
In Game 5 of the 2025 American League Division Series, Garver lifted a go-ahead sacrifice fly off Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal in the second inning of a 3-2, 15-inning win.
The finish came quickly. In a report for MLB Trade Rumors, writer Darragh McDonald noted that “he cracked the Opening Day roster in 2026, but he was released in August.”
Garver was hitting .175/.302/.294 over 149 plate appearances when the Mariners cut him on Aug. 4. He had managed four homers across 50 games, and the club had dropped catcher Andrew Knizner to keep him on the Opening Day roster.
Then came a short detour in the minors.
The New York Yankees signed Garver four days after his release while catcher Austin Wells struggled and the deadline passed without a major catching move.
The sample offered little momentum. Garver slashed .179/.324/.214 in 34 plate appearances at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and was not promoted when rosters expanded, so he had room to weigh his future.
Right now, the next chapter looks calmer after a decade behind the plate.
Garver reportedly wants to stay in baseball down the line, but for now he is embracing life as a dad and husband.
Meanwhile, Mariners and Yankees now face bigger questions of their own.
Mariners search for new leadership as Yankees reassess catching depth
Garver’s exit lands at a busy moment for the Mariners, who are rebuilding their dugout leadership after moving on from manager Dan Wilson at the end of the season. That search will shape how they approach the 2027 roster and depth decisions behind it.
Among the possible candidates for the position, one can mention ex-managers of the Houston Astros, Joe Espada, and of the Twins, Rocco Baldelli, who coached the 2019 Bomba Squad.
Any of these two coaches will take over a team where the 2025 breakout Cal Raleigh managed to post an OPS of just .664.
The Yankees will be facing their own dilemma behind the plate.
Garver was just organizational depth at the Triple-A level, and therefore, the discussions about Wells’ bat will remain, while any additional support can only come via trade or free agency during the offseason.
Then comes timing, as labor unrest threatens to postpone the beginning of the 2027 season, and therefore, the prospect of making yet another minor league contract seems like a bad call. By retiring, Garver can leave the game on his terms.