The Yankees didn’t land their catcher at the trade deadline, but they still made a move to address the spot.
Mitch Garver, the former Twins catcher and Silver Slugger Award winner, has signed a minor-league contract with New York after being released by the Seattle Mariners earlier this week. Ted Schwerzler of MinnesotaSportsFan.com first reported the agreement.
Garver, 35, was struggling badly in Seattle as Cal Raleigh’s backup before the Mariners let him go on Tuesday, Aug. 4. At the time of his release, he was hitting .175/.302/.294.
New York had been searching for help behind the plate after coming up empty before the Aug. 3 MLB trade deadline, and Garver now arrives as a low-risk option for the stretch run.
Source: Catcher Mitch Garver has signed a minor league deal with the New York Yankees.
Will report to @swbrailriders and has an opt out later this month.
- Ted (@tlschwerz) August 7, 2026
Garver’s career line sits at .229/.325/.432 over 10 seasons, with stops in Minnesota from 2017-21, Texas from 2022-23 and Seattle from 2024-26.
Per Schwerzler, he’ll head to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and there’s a familiar face waiting for him there in Yankees catching coordinator Tanner Swanson, who also worked with Garver during their time in Minnesota.
The Yankees’ urgency at catcher has only grown because of Austin Well’s downturn. The 27-year-old was an American League Rookie of the Year finalist in 2024 and followed that with 21 home runs in 126 games in 2025, but this season he’s slashing just .169/.268/.289.
New York was also tied to Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers in the days before the deadline, but Minnesota chose to keep its roster intact. The Twins were just a half-game behind the Texas Rangers for the final American League wild-card spot through Aug. 6.
The Yankees also reportedly never made a formal offer to Cincinnati Reds veteran Tyler Stephenson, another catcher who would have fit what they were looking for.
Garver isn’t being brought in to solve the problem overnight. Still, if he looks sharp at Triple-A and the Yankees remain in the hunt for the Tampa Bay Rays, who led the AL East by 4.5 games through Aug. 6, it wouldn’t be a shock to see him get a shot in the Bronx.
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