After days of speculation, the Seattle Mariners finally signed backup catcher Andrew Knizner to a one-year deal on Tuesday afternoon. It’s a one-year major league deal. meaning he’s going to be the backup to Cal Raleigh, so long as he stays healthy.
His presence also means that the Mariners tenure for Mitch Garver is over, barring something unforeseen happening. Garver spent two years with the Mariners, hitting 24 home runs and hitting a disappointing .187.
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Interestingly enough, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Mariners had interest in another backup catcher: Danny Jansen, who eventually signed with the rival Texas Rangers on a two-year pact.
Only J.T. Realmuto and Will Smith have started more games than Raleigh at catcher over the past three seasons. The Mariners liked Danny Jansen, who agreed to a two-year, $14.5 million contract with the Texas Rangers, but knew he would want more playing time than they could provide.
That certainly makes sense as Raleigh is a fixture within the M’s lineup. Garver did appear in 87 games in 2025, though it’s unclear if the backup position will appear in that many in 2026. Jansen is a guy with significant starting experience, so it’s understandable why he wanted a more significant role somewhere.
It’s unknown if the team simply had no interest in bringing Garver back – or if they feel he also wants a bigger role.
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A seven-year veteran of the St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants and Texas Rangers, Knizner is a .221 lifetime hitter with a .299 on-base percentage. He’s got 19 home runs but 10 of those came in 2023. He’s seen as a good defender, but he won’t provide the Mariners much in the way of offense.
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The Mariners are still in trade conversations for both Brendan Donovan and Ketel Marte, and in the wake of losing Jorge Polanco, there is some urgency to get things done in this offseason.
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Beyond the search for a replacement bat, the Mariners still need one additional bullpen arm, even after acquiring Jose Ferrer in a trade for prospect Harry Ford.
Speaking of urgency? The Christmas holiday is coming. While that’s not a hard-and-fast stoppage in action, the industry generally shuts down between Christmas and New Years, so if the M’s are going to make something happen, they should be motivated to make it happen quickly.
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