PEORIA, Ariz. — The Mariners are bringing back last year’s backup catcher to join the competition for the spot behind Cal Raleigh this season.
Major League Baseball sources confirmed that Mitch Garver has agreed to a minor league contract with an invite to spring training to compete for the spot he held last season. He is expected to arrive to camp Thursday to take a physical and sign his contract.
Garver, who turned 35 in January, played in 87 games for Seattle last season, posting a .209/.297/.343 slash line with five doubles, a triple, nine homers and 30 RBI.
He started 42 games behind the plate and 22 games at designated hitter last season.
With Garver becoming a free agent after the 2026 season and Harry Ford traded to the Nationals, the Mariners signed Andrew Knizner to a one-year major league contract.
Knizner (pronounced KIZZ-ner) has played in parts of seven big-league seasons with three organizations — St. Louis (2019-23), Texas (2024) and San Francisco (2025). Over 323 games in his MLB career, the 30-year-old has posted a .211/.281/.316 slash line in 975 plate appearances with 19 homers and 90 RBI.
He appeared in 33 games with the Giants in 2025, posting a .221/.289/.299 slash line in 99 plate appearances with a double, a triple, a homer, five RBI, seven walks and 10 strikeouts.
Seattle also acquired Jhonny Pereda, another catcher with MLB experience, from the Twins for cash considerations.
Pereda, 29, has played in a combined 46 major league games for three organizations — the Marlins (2024), A’s (2025) and Twins (2025) — over the past two seasons, posting a .241/.299/.296 slash line with six doubles and eight RBI in 118 plate appearances. He has a minor league option and will likely serve as the starter in Tacoma if he doesn’t win the backup job.