Mitch Garver’s path through the big leagues was never the neat, polished story teams dream on draft day. It was the long shot that kept paying off, all the way to a career that now ends with 701 games, 110 home runs, and a World Series ring.
The former Twins catcher has officially retired at 35, bringing down the curtain after a 10-year run in the majors. Signed out of New Mexico for a $40,000 bonus, Garver beat the odds from the start and turned that modest investment into nearly $37 million in career earnings.
His journey began with Minnesota, where he debuted in 2017 at age 26. He later became one of the defining bats of the Twins’ 2019 Bomba Squad, the club that set the major league record with 307 home runs.
Garver was the fifth player on that roster to clear 30 homers, finishing with 31. That season he hit .273 with a .995 OPS and won a Silver Slugger, establishing himself as arguably the best offensive catcher in the league.
Garver’s rise fit the Twins’ recent run of developmental success stories, a group that also includes Louie Varland, Bailey Ober, and Zebby Matthews. But Garver’s story stood out even in that company.
He wasn’t a high draft pick or a top prospect. He was a ninth-round selection in 2013 who kept climbing.
After being traded to Texas before the 2022 season for Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Ronny Henriquez, Garver settled in with the Rangers and won a World Series the following year. Two months later, he signed a two-year deal with the Seattle Mariners in December 2023.
His time in Seattle was rocky. In 50 games this season, he hit just .175 with a .596 OPS.
Even when 2025 breakout Cal Raleigh was struggling to a .664 OPS, Garver’s playing time stayed spotty. The Mariners re-signed him in February, then released him in August.
Four days later, he joined the New York Yankees, though he was not promoted when rosters expanded. That gave him a chance to weigh his future, and he chose retirement.
Garver is finished as a player, but not necessarily with the sport. He wants to do something in baseball down the line, though for now he’s looking forward to being “just a dad and husband” with more time on his hands.
In Other News...
Twins Face One Big Offseason Question About Their Top Prospects
Tom Pohlads suggestion that the payroll could rise in 2027 gives the Twins a little more room to think long term, but it does not solve the immediate offseason puzzle in front of them. Minnesota still has one of the stronger farm systems in the game, and that depth creates choices as much as it creates optimism, especially when the front office is weighing how to reshape the major league roster after a season that left plenty of room for change.
The question now is how aggressively the Twins want to use that prospect capital. Catching depth and a crowded outfield give the club some flexibility, and that is the kind of surplus rival teams tend to ask about first in trade talks. Minnesota has enough young talent to improve from within, but it also has enough to dangle in pursuit of help that fits the big-league roster more cleanly, which is where the real offseason pressure starts to build. [Read more 🡒]
Tommy Nance Gave The Twins A Bullpen Decision To Make
Tommy Nances 2026 season gave the Twins a useful reminder that bullpen depth can shift fast when a pitcher stays on the field and keeps getting called on. After making Torontos Opening Day roster and working a career-high 59 appearances, he went through a year that was mostly healthy aside from some midseason forearm discomfort, and even when fatigue started to show late, he was still available often enough to matter. For a Minnesota bullpen that is always trying to sort out who can handle real leverage, that kind of durability is not nothing.
Nance also knows there is still room to sharpen the way he shows up for those moments. He plans to make adjustments in the offseason as he tries to be quicker getting locked in, with an eye on carving out more high-leverage chances once he gets to the Twins in 2027. The path forward is pretty clear from here: keep the body right, get the command where it needs to be, and make it easier for Minnesota to trust him when the game gets tight. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Face A Tougher Bullpen Call With Eric Orze This Spring
Eric Orzes place in the Twins bullpen is set to come with a little more urgency this spring, because the club has to decide not just whether he helps them now, but how much patience it can afford to show if he does not. His 2026 season trended down from what he showed in 2025, and Minnesota will spend camp trying to determine whether a change in environment, and a fresh voice in the coaching staff, can help him get back on track.
Brian Reiths arrival adds an interesting layer to that evaluation, since he has seen Orze before and now gets another chance to judge what the right role looks like for him. The broader challenge for the Twins is roster management, because Orzes status makes him tougher to stash if he does not win a job outright, and that puts even more weight on how he looks in spring training compared with the clubs other bullpen candidates. [Read more 🡒]