Former Rangers Catcher Garver Retires

Former Texas Rangers catcher and 10-year MLB veteran Mitch Garver has retired following the 2026 season.

Prior to the 2022 season, the Rangers acquired Garver from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for Isiah Kiner-Falefa and prospect Ronny Henriquez.

In his first year in a Rangers uniform, Garver played in just 54 games, hitting .207 with 10 home runs and 24 RBIs.

However, it was in 2023 that Garver cemented himself as a DFW sports legend by coming through as a key contributor to the first World Series-winning team in Texas franchise history.

During the regular season that year, Garver posted a strong .270 batting average with 19 home runs and 50 RBIs in just 87 games.

It didn’t take Garver long to make an impact in the postseason as he blasted a huge grand slam in Game 2 of the American League Division Series to help the Rangers claim a win in a series they would go on to sweep.

Garver even provided a massive swing in the biggest game in Texas history as he was the one who broke the scoreless tie with an RBI single in the seventh inning in Game 5 of the World Series.

The Rangers would, of course, go on to win that game 5-0 and win their first World Series championship.

After the World Series-winning season, Garver would go on to sign a contract with the Seattle Mariners in free agency, where he would play the remaining three seasons of his career.

For having played only 141 regular-season games in a Texas uniform, Garver’s impact on the franchise is no doubt profound because of his play during that title run.

The Rangers' trade for Garver marked one of general manager Jon Daniels' final big moves before he was fired later that season in August.

Garver’s presence was one of the many ways that Daniels had a profound impact on what went down as the first championship team in franchise history.

Daniels was also involved with the trades for Jonah Heim, Nathaniel Lowe, and Adolis Garcia, as well as the free agent signings of Marcus Semien and Corey Seager.

Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young famously thanked Daniels for his contributions to the roster construction after winning the title.

Daniels himself wished the Rangers a title in his letter to Texas fans, which he shared after he was let go that season, and they would, of course, get a year later.