Why Mitch Garver feels ‘a lot better’ entering Year 2 with Mariners
There is a different ease about Mitch Garver in the Seattle Mariners’ clubhouse this spring than there was a year ago, and that likely has much to do with the offseason he was able to both utilize and enjoy.
What stood out from Brock and Salk’s conversation with Julio
A year ago, as a free agent for the first time, he was coming off a winter of uncertainty over where he and his growing family would be for spring training and the regular season. He was a late-ish sign, with his two-year deal finalized on Dec. 28, and with his second child born just hours after he passed his physical and put ink to paper in Seattle.
This offseason, much quieter.
“Things slowed down,” Garver said while sitting at his locker on a recent morning. “Right when we got home, we got settled in, and then it seemed like the whole offseason just flowed together really nicely. The boys got on a schedule, both sleeping and eating. And it was just a more consistent, sane lifestyle. It was nice.”
The human side of transactions. It is different for every player, but the adjustments are very real and they come at players and families fast, with spring turning into the regular season and home turning into road in just a matter of days.
“It takes more than spring training,” Garver said. “It takes more than a year. My wife will say the same thing too. She’s way more comfortable being here now. She has friends on this team. The kids have friends on this team. It’s just nice to come back and see everybody’s face again.
