triple, 2 home runs and 12 RBIs and 9 walks in 40 games. Combined with his time in the Indians and Giants organization, Garko batted .268 with 13 doubles, 13 home runs and 51 RBIs in 118 games. On December 12, 2009, Garko was non-tendered by the Giants, making him a free agent. Seattle Mariners Garko signed a one-year, $550,000 contract with the Seattle Mariners on February 1, 2010. Garko said that the reason he was signed by Seattle was because he has success against left-handed pitching. He added about signing with the Mariners: However, in the spring, Garko batted only .220 with a home run and four RBIs. On March 30, he was placed on waivers by the Mariners to make room for Mike Sweeney of the 25-man roster. Geoff Baker, reporter for The Seattle Times, stated that the reason for Garko being placed on waivers was because of Sweeney's clubhouse presence and the fact that the Mariners had stated that, due to his defensive abilities, Casey Kotchman, whom Garko was expected to split playing time with, was going to play the majority of the games at first base leaving the back-up designated hitter spot for Garko. The final decision, Baker stated, was that the Mariners had their organization full with back-up first basemen and designated hitters like Sweeney and Tommy Everidge. Texas Rangers On April 1, Garko was claimed by the Texas Rangers. As a result of his signing, the Rangers optioned Max Ramírez to the Triple-A Oklahoma City RedHawks to make room for Garko on the 25-man roster. The Rangers had shown interest in Garko at the trade deadline in 2009, however, no transaction ever formed and he was sent to the San Francisco Giants. On May 13, The Dallas Morning News reporter Evan Grant reported that the Rangers intended to option Garko to the minor leagues and later place him on outright waivers when outfielder Nelson Cruz was activated from the disabled list, although no transaction was official at the time of the report. Later that day, the Rangers officially optioned Garko to Triple-A Oklahoma City and placed him on waivers after Cruz was activated from the disabled list. On May 13, he cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Oklahoma City, which removed him from the Rangers' 40-man roster. Garko hit his first home run of the season, a grand slam, with the RedHawks against