SEATTLE -- Cal Raleigh is on the injured list for the first time in his career, forcing the Mariners into a spot they once thought unthinkable given how durable the big backstop has been.
But as one of his replacements recently said, "The show must go on."
That assessment came from veteran Mitch Garver, one half of Seattle’s duo behind the plate in Raleigh’s stead. The other is a newcomer, Jhonny Pereda, who announced himself with a huge homer in Wednesday's win over the White Sox.
And they each bring things that are uniquely beneficial.
Garver found himself at the crossroads this past offseason, a free agent without much outside interest -- until Raleigh reached out, suggesting Garver pitch a reunion to Seattle's front office.
“That meant everything,” Gaver said. “I was pretty close to -- not retiring, but taking a Minor League job with a team I wasn’t familiar with. … I honestly ended up back where I really wanted to be the whole time.”
A day later, the 35-year-old signed a Minor League deal with the Mariners, then won the backup job in Spring Training. And he wasn’t the only one happy about his return for a third season with Seattle.
“When I got the news that he was coming back, I think everybody was pretty excited,” Bryan Woo said.
“I think the familiarity helps a lot from the last couple of years,” Logan Gilbert added. “Just the veteran presence of understanding what goes into game planning, running a staff with different pitchers, stuff like that. It’s been good, I was happy to see him come back this year.”
Garver originally came to Seattle in 2023 on a two-year, $24 million deal to be the Mariners’ DH, but by midseason, he had taken over as the backup catcher. He continued in the role last season, making it the first time the Mariners finished back-to-back seasons with the same backup in terms of starts since Ben Davis backed up Dan Wilson in 2002-03.
Now Garver is in Year 3 with Seattle, and that familiarity has made him more than the average backup in pitching staff’s eyes -- something arguably more important than offensive production or defensive metrics.
“Sometimes with a backup catcher, you don’t really know them,” Woo said. “It’s a lot more inconsistent. A lot of the time you get a new one every year and it’s hard to build that relationship. But with him, it’s been super easy.”
It looms even larger now with Raleigh recovering from an oblique strain -- likely for multiple weeks -- moving Garver into a more prominent role.
“He does a great job realizing certain guys’ swings and approaches, and makes good in-game approaches when needed,” said George Kirby, who went at least seven innings in each of his first two starts throwing to Garver. “He’s always talking to us in the tunnel, the dugout, in between innings.”
Garver started back-to-back games for the first time behind the plate with the Mariners on May 4-5, when Raleigh first missed time with his injury. Since Raleigh went on the IL, though, it’s been more of an even split, with Garver starting three games behind the plate and Pereda starting four.
Pereda, meanwhile, has given the Mariners a lot to like in a short amount of time, particularly on defense. It’s a small sample size, but he’s thrown out five of nine would-be basestealers, including two in two innings against the Padres on Saturday.
Pereda’s glove has long been his calling card. Originally signed by the Cubs in 2013 as a 16-year-old out of San Juan, Venezuela, he steadily worked his way up the Minor League ladder despite only posting an OPS over .720 once in his first seven seasons, earning a Minor League Gold Glove Award in 2019.
“Defense is very important, and it’s fun to do that, catching people trying to steal,” Pereda said.
In Wednesday’s win over the White Sox, Pereda helped snuff out a Chicago rally by picking Chase Meidroth off third base. The next inning, he put the Mariners in front with his first career home run.
Pereda has always had a strong arm, and that came with him when he joined the Mariners on a Minor League deal this past offseason. His 81.6 mph average arm strength is 19th out of catchers with at least five throws to second.
But according to the 30-year-old, the key has been focusing less on velocity.
“I always had a good arm, but at the beginning of my career, I was throwing all over the place because I was trying to be too quick to the bases,” Pereda said. “As soon as I learned I didn’t have to be that quick, just make good throws, that made it way easier.”
Mariners reporter Daniel Kramer contributed to this story.