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Catcher Mitch Garver and Seattle are in agreement on a two-year, $24 million contract, sources told ESPN’s Jeff Passan on Sunday, the Mariners’ foray into adding to a playoff contender after a winter of dealing off their major league roster.

Garver thrived in part-time at-bats for the Texas Rangers en route to their World Series title this year. In 344 plate appearances split between catcher and designated hitter, Garver hit .270/.370/.500 with 19 home runs and 50 RBIs.

Prior to the signing of Garver, who is expected to back up starting catcher Cal Raleigh and get the lion’s share of his at-bats at DH, the Mariners chased their 88-74 season by trading starting third baseman Eugenio Suarez and starting left fielder Jarred Kelenic in money-dump deals. Garver adds a bat with an expected weighted on base near the 90th percentile of all hitters last year.

While he’s not the star the Mariners need to pair alongside Julio Rodriguez — Seattle did not pursue Shohei Ohtani in free agency nor Juan Soto on the trade market — Garver certainly fills a need and represents a solid first move.

Corey Seager and Adolis Garcia dominated the headlines as the Rangers made their championship run in October, but Garver pitched in with pivotal hits despite not playing in his team’s first-round win over the Tampa Bay Rays.

Before Game 2 of the American League Division Series, Texans manager Bruce Bochy told reporters that he had made up his mind it was time to get Garver into the mix against the Baltimore Orioles — and he delivered by hammering a grand slam and driving in five runs.

Garver also had three hits, including a home run, in an AL Championship Series Game 6 victory over the Houston Astros; he also had a hit and scored a run in Game 7.

He also went on to hit a home run in the World Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Garver, who turns 33 in January, has spent seven years in the majors, including five with the Minnesota Twins before he was traded to Texas in a deal for Isiah Kiner-Falefa (who then was traded to the New York Yankees along with Josh Donaldson).

In 2019, Garver was key part of a Twins lineup that set an all-time single-season record with 307 home runs — Garver had 31 in just 359 plate appearances, and was rewarded with a Silver Slugger Award.

He was primarily a catcher in his years with the Twins but has mostly been a backup there with Texas, as the Rangers were in the process of developing Jonah Heim as their regular catcher. Used primarily as a designated hitter, Garver caught 14 games in 2022, 28 games in 2023 and also had one appearance at first base last season.

ESPN’s Buster Olney contributed to this report.

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Sources: Sooners DT Stone hits transfer portal

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Sources: Sooners DT Stone hits transfer portal

Oklahoma defensive tackle David Stone entered the NCAA transfer portal Friday, sources told ESPN.

Stone, a former five-star recruit and the No. 6 overall player in the ESPN 300 for the 2024 class, made the surprising decision to enter the portal after playing in all 13 games as a true freshman with the Sooners. The 6-foot-3 313-pounder saw limited playing time, playing 88 snaps and recording 6 tackles, 2 tackles for loss and 1 sack.

Stone was expected to compete for a more significant role as a sophomore, and Oklahoma coach Brent Venables recently praised him as the Sooners’ most improved defensive tackle this offseason.

The Oklahoma native finished his high school career at IMG Academy in Florida and was a significant recruiting victory for Venables and his coaching staff in August 2023. Stone chose the Sooners over Texas A&M, Oregon, Florida, Miami and Michigan State.

The SEC does not grant immediate eligibility to players who transfer within the conference during the spring transfer window, so Stone would need to sit out the 2025 season if he moves on to another SEC program.

Oklahoma returns its top three defensive tackles from 2024 in Damonic Williams, Gracen Halton and Jayden Jackson. It also added Trent Wilson, the No. 164 recruit in the ESPN 300 for 2025, as an early enrollee this spring.

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QB Browne returns to Purdue after brief UNC stint

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QB Browne returns to Purdue after brief UNC stint

Quarterback Ryan Browne has decided to transfer back to Purdue after joining North Carolina earlier this offseason.

Browne committed to rejoining the Boilermakers on Friday after entering his name in the NCAA transfer portal Wednesday.

The 6-foot-4, 210-pound redshirt sophomore started two games for Purdue in 2024 but moved on amid the program’s head coaching change and went through spring practice under new Tar Heels coach Bill Belichick.

North Carolina landed a commitment from South Alabama transfer quarterback Gio Lopez on Thursday.

Browne and freshman Bryce Baker were North Carolina’s lone scholarship quarterbacks available for spring practice and were competing with three walk-ons while sixth-year senior Max Johnson recovers from a broken leg.

Browne threw for 636 yards, rushed for 240 yards and scored four touchdowns while appearing in nine games as Hudson Card’s backup over the past two seasons at Purdue, earning starts in losses to Illinois and Oregon.

By returning to West Lafayette, Browne will get an opportunity to compete for a starting job with Arkansas transfer Malachi Singleton, Washington State transfer Evans Chuba and Bennett Meredith, a former Arizona State transfer.

The Boilermakers lost one quarterback, EJ Colson, to the transfer portal earlier this week.

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U-M’s Underwood has up-and-down spring game

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U-M's Underwood has up-and-down spring game

Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood showed glimpses of the growing pains he will experience as a freshman and flashes of the promise that made him the nation’s top-rated high school football recruit in the Wolverines’ spring game Saturday.

Underwood was 12 of 26 for 187 yards with a scrimmage-ending, 88-yard pass to tight end Jalen Hoffman on a reverse flea-flicker in a 17-0 win for the Blue over the Maize.

He also recovered his fumble, had a pair of delay-of-game penalties, several errant throws – high and wide – and some dropped. Underwood lost 12 yards on two sacks and gained 17 yards on three runs.

“He did well,” coach Sherrone Moore said. “Made some really, good throws and had some things we need to clean up and get better at.”

As the Wolverines wrapped up spring football in front of about 40,000 fans at the Big House, all eyes were on Underwood and he has become comfortable with that.

“It’s just the pressure that came with my arm,” Underwood told The Detroit News earlier this spring. “I can’t stop that.”

Underwood was sacked on his first snap and his first completion went for a loss. He did throw some darts, usually in the flat, and was quick enough to escape collapsed pockets to pick up yardage with his feet.

Underwood is expected to compete with sophomore Jadyn Davis and Fresno State transfer Mikey Keene for playing time ahead of the season-opening game on Aug. 30 at home against Fresno State.

“It’s a battle,” Moore said. “It’s going to go all the way to fall camp.”

Underwood is motivated to start and kick off a legacy-building career with lofty goals.

“A couple of Heismans and at least one natty,” Underwood said last month in an interview on the Rich Eisen Show.

Underwood knows there will be people doubting he can live up to the hype.

‘He’s just a freshman. He won’t be good enough,'” Underwood said. “I might keep that chip my whole three years.”

He attended at Belleville High School, which is about 15 miles east of Ann Arbor, and flipped his commitment to Michigan after telling LSU coaches last year he intended to play there.

Tom Brady, a former Wolverine and seven-time Super Bowl winner, talked with Underwood during the school’s recruitment via FaceTime and Oracle founder Larry Ellison, one of the world’s richest people, also connected with him.

Jay Underwood told the Wall Street Journal that his son is expected to make more than $15 million at Michigan, but that doesn’t guarantee he will take the first snap next fall.

“He wants to earn everything,” Moore has said. “He doesn’t want to be given anything.”

Hoffman said Underwood has simply blended in with his teammates.

“He’s really humble, like not a big head, ego, nothing like that,” he said. “Comes into work and every day, he wants to get better every day. He’s not riding off his success in high school. He’s really trying to be one of those top players in college football.”

Underwood participated in practices with the team before it beat Alabama in a bowl game, enrolled in classes in January and gained a lot experience in 14 private practices before a public scrimmage.

“Football is football,” he told MLive.com. “School is a little bit more overwhelming now.”

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