Revisiting an offseason idea for the Mariners... Gary Sanchez or Mitch Garver.

Let's dive into answering all of the questions surrounding the Mariners' backup catcher position, and if there is a better route they could have gone in solving it. The argument was made in the offseason the Mariners needed to sign Gary Sanchez. Instead, the Mariners signed Mitch Garver. To top it all off, the backup catcher for the Mariners is Seby Zavala, a pool noodle wielding backstop whose only value added to the team is giving Cal Raleigh a day off.

The Mariners should have gone with Gary Sanchez

No offense to Seby, but he was a casualty of the Mariners' ownership being tight on the budget. The team needed a backup catcher and he just happened to be a throw-in on a trade. However, the team would have been better built by adding Gary Sanchez.

Even though Sanchez is around career norms, he is still providing positive WAR. Meanwhile, Garver and Zavala are providing a net -0.5 WAR for the team against Sanchez's +0.3 WAR. It might not seem like much but from a money standpoint, it makes sense. Sanchez is making about three million this season, still catching games, and is playing first base. Meanwhile, Garver is only doing designated hitter and Zavala is a high-end bullpen catcher. Garver and Zavala are costing the team 12+ million dollars a season.

Yay, Mitch Garver for hitting a walkoff homerun to win a series for the Mariners over the Atlanta Braves. But he needs to start hitting home runs and producing for a Mariners offense which is struggling. Congrats on your World Series ring Mitch Garver, bring that experience and winning mentality over to the Mariners. After the first month of the season Gary Sanchez, at a very reduced rate looks like a better signing as he has actually provided defensive flexibility and a positive contribution to the team.