The New York Yankees have signed veteran catcher Mitch Garver to a minor league deal, a source confirmed Friday. The move comes after the team was unable to acquire a catcher at the recent trade deadline.
Garver, 35, was released by the Seattle Mariners earlier this week amid a difficult season. He previously worked with Yankees director of catching Tanner Swanson when both were with the Minnesota Twins organization. Garver provides a right-handed hitting option for the Yankees' Triple-A affiliate.
The Yankees had reportedly pursued Ryan Jeffers, a right-handed hitting catcher from the Twins, but Minnesota ultimately decided not to sell at the deadline. In other catcher moves, the Boston Red Sox acquired Adley Rutschman from the Baltimore Orioles, and the Tampa Bay Rays added Liam Hicks from the Miami Marlins.
General Manager Brian Cashman did not secure a backstop by the deadline, leaving Austin Wells and Ali Sánchez on the major league roster. At Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the Yankees have J.C. Escarra and Christian Bethancourt.
Garver has struggled this season, batting .175 with a .596 OPS in 50 games for the Mariners. He performed slightly better against left-handed pitching, hitting .222 with a .659 OPS. His defensive metrics included ranking in the 17th percentile for framing, a skill the Yankees emphasize, especially with the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) system in use.
Wells has spent most of the season as one of the league's least productive hitters but has shown recent improvement, posting a .931 OPS since July 9. The Yankees view his contributions as key to the team leading the majors in ERA, and he has continued to catch despite his offensive struggles. Sánchez's role may be more uncertain, as he entered Friday with a .657 OPS, though with an .838 OPS in a smaller sample size against lefties.