Mitch Garver Hitting Free Agency After Texas Rangers World Series Run, Due Big Raise

Mitch Garver, one of the many standouts during the Texas Rangers' World Series championship, is eligible for a tender offer of $20 million going into free agency for the first time .

Can the Texas Rangers retain Mitch Garver, who is set to hit free agency for the first time this offseason?

It’s a question worth asking, as Garver lived up to the offensive expectations the Rangers had in the second half of the 2023 season. He filled a crucial role at designated hitter in helping Texas win its first World Series.

Garver batted .270 with 19 home runs and 50 RBI. That’s his best season since his breakout 2019 campaign with Minnesota, where he hit .273 with 31 home runs and 67 RBI.

Mitch Garver, a key to the World Series run for the Ranger, is a free agent for the first time in his career / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Rangers have a couple of options when it comes to Garver, one of which must be triggered in the next few days. The Rangers could give Garver the qualifying offer, a one-year tender set to be a bit more than $20 million next year. If Garver accepts the deal, then the Rangers are on the hook for that money. If he opts for free agency and signs elsewhere, the Rangers get draft pick compensation.

Or, the Rangers could allow Garver to explore free agency and see what he can get. He made just $3.9 million with the Rangers in 2023, which was his final arbitration season.

Whether he can get more on the open market is the question he has to answer.

In Garver's next full season in 2021 he slid to .256 with 13 home runs and 34 RBI in 68 games as he spent part of that season on the injured list.

The Twins traded him to the Rangers before the 2022 season in a deal in which the Rangers sent infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa to Minnesota. The idea was that Garver would be the primary catcher and provide a veteran presence with Jonah Heim.

But in the season’s first month he suffered a right forearm flexor muscle strain and was limited to DH duties and ultimately had surgery in July that ended his season. He batted just .207 with 10 home runs and 24 RBI. By the end of the season, Heim had established himself as the team’s starting catcher.

Garver dealt with another injury this season, as he missed more than a month with a mild left knee sprain. That led to another slow offensive start. But, post-All-Star break, Garver’s offense picked up as he settled into the DH role full-time. He played 57 of his 87 games at DH.

In the postseason, be broke out in Game 2 of the AL Division Series against the Baltimore Orioles, going 2-for-6 with a grand slam and five RBI. That grand slam was his first career postseason home run and tied the team’s single-game postseason RBI record.

Bringing Back Monty Promises to be Costly

You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.

Catch up with Inside the Rangers on Facebook, Twitter, TikTok and Instagram.