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Anthony Swarzak

Anthony Swarzak Clears Waivers, Elects Free Agency

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The Royals announced Wednesday that veteran right-handed reliever Anthony Swarzak opted for free agency over an assignment to Triple-A after going unclaimed on outright waivers. He’s now free to sign with any team.

Swarzak, 35, has pitched for both the D-backs and Royals this season but been clobbered for 13 runs on 20 hits, including four homers, in 12 1/3 innings of work. He yielded eight runs in 7 2/3 frames before being designated for assignment in Kansas City. Swarzak didn’t pitch in the Majors last year and worked to a combined 5.08 ERA in 79 2/3 innings from 2018-19 between the Mets, Mariners and Braves.

Swarzak’s best season came back in 2017, when he posted a 2.33 ERA and a career-best 30 percent strikeout rate in 77 1/3 innings between the White Sox and Brewers. He’s battled shoulder troubles and been inconsistent since that time, however. It’s been several years since Swarzak has looked like an effective big league reliever on a consistent basis, but he had a good showing in Triple-A earlier this year. Given the number of clubs around the league who are scrambling to find bullpen help, the 11-year big league veteran could well find interest from a new organization on a minor league arrangement.

Royals Reinstate Wade Davis From 10-Day IL, Designate Anthony Swarzak

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The Royals have reinstated veteran reliever Wade Davis from the 10-day injured list, the team announced.  In a corresponding move, right-hander Anthony Swarzak has been designated for assignment.

A right forearm strain sent Davis to the IL on June 30, continuing what has been another tough season for the 35-year-old.  After a pair of dismal, injury-plagued seasons with the Rockies, Davis signed a minor league deal with the Royals, looking to revive his career at the site of his 2014-16 glory days.

However, Davis has struggled to an 8.06 ERA over 25 2/3 innings out of the K.C. bullpen, surrendering an ungainly seven home runs over that limited sample size.  With the Royals falling out of contention and more likely to want to look at younger pitchers down the stretch, it remains to be seen whether or not Davis will continue on the roster, though the organization could very well give some extra leeway to such a respected pitcher in the franchise’s history.

Swarzak also caught on with the Royals on a minors deal back in May, after the Diamondbacks released the righty from an earlier minor league contract in April.  After not pitching during the 2020 season, Swarzak has had a rocky return to the mound, with a 9.49 ERA over 12 1/3 combined innings with Arizona and Kansas City.

Royals Select Anthony Swarzak

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The Royals announced they’ve selected the contract of reliever Anthony Swarzak. Righty Ronald Bolaños was transferred to the 60-day injured list to create 40-man roster space.

Swarzak, 35, pitched in six games earlier this year with the Diamondbacks. He allowed five runs over 4 2/3 innings, striking out four while walking just one. Arizona cut Swarzak loose at the end of April, and he latched on with the Royals not long thereafter on a minor league deal. He got off to a fantastic start with Triple-A Omaha, punching out 14 of 33 batters faced (42.4%) while not issuing a walk. He allowed three runs (two earned) in 9 1/3 frames as a Storm Chaser before earning his way back to the big leagues.

Bolaños went on the IL earlier this week with a forearm strain. It’s not yet clear if that’ll require surgical repair, but he’s now out until at least mid-August. The 24-year-old was off to a strong start to the year, striking out ten while issuing just a pair of walks over 6 1/3 relief innings.

Royals Sign Anthony Swarzak

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Though the team hasn’t made a formal announcement to this point, the Royals have signed veteran reliever Anthony Swarzak to a minor league contract. The move is reflected on the transactions log at MLB.com, and Swarzak is listed on the roster with the organization’s top affiliate in Omaha. The Royals also inked former Rockies, Rangers and Cubs right-hander Eddie Butler earlier this month and did so without a formal announcement. Butler has tossed four innings in Triple-A with the Storm Chasers already.

Swarzak, 35, didn’t pitch in the Majors in 2019 but returned to the big leagues with the D-backs in 2021. It was a brief and unsuccessful pairing, as the well-traveled righty yielded five runs on seven hits and a walk with four strikeouts through just 4 2/3 innings. Arizona designated Swarzak for assignment on April 18 and released him a week later. Prior to that brief run with the D-backs, Swarzak’s most recent big league stint was a solid run with the 2019 Braves, during which he tossed 39 1/3 innings of 4.31 ERA ball.

While he’s pitched for nine Major League teams across parts of 11 seasons and accrued more than eight years of big league service time, Swarzak remarkably hasn’t spent consecutive seasons with a team since 2013-14 with the Twins, who selected him in the second round of the 2004 draft. Swarzak spent five seasons in Minnesota but has since spent time with the Indians, Yankees, Brewers, White Sox, Mets, Mariners, Braves and D-backs. If he makes it to the Majors with the Royals, they’ll be his tenth MLB club and his fourth AL Central team. In 645 2/3 big league innings, Swarzak has a 4.36 ERA with a 17.8 percent strikeout rate and a 7.3 percent walk rate, although his strikeout rate has spiked considerably since moving to short relief stints in the second half of his career.

As for 30-year-old Butler, he ranked as one of the game’s best pitching prospects with the Rockies after being selected with the No. 46 overall pick back in 2012. He posted strong numbers up through Double-A before struggling a bit in Triple-A, and his work at the MLB level has produced just a 5.80 ERA in 263 2/3 innings. Butler has since pitched in the KBO and on the independent circuit. He was slated to open the 2021 season with the Atlantic League’s Southern Maryland Blue Crabs before the Royals signed him earlier this month.

Diamondbacks Release Anthony Swarzak

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TODAY: The Diamondbacks announced that Swarzak has been released.

APRIL 18: The Diamondbacks announced this morning they’ve designated reliever Anthony Swarzak for assignment. Right-hander J.B. Bukauskas has been recalled from the alternate training site, while outfielder Tim Locastro was placed on the 10-day injured list.

Selected to the D-Backs’ roster a week and a half ago, Swarzak went on to log 4.2 relief innings across six appearances for Arizona. The veteran righty allowed five runs on seven hits, struck out four and issued a walk. That marked his first MLB action since 2019, when he pitched to a 4.56 ERA/4.65 SIERA over 53.1 frames.

He’ll be replaced on the active roster by Bukauskas, a former first-round pick now slated to make his major league debut. The 24-year-old was drafted fifteenth overall by the Astros in 2017 coming out of the University of North Carolina. He wound up dealt to Arizona as part of the four-player return for Zack Greinke at the 2019 trade deadline. Baseball America placed Bukauskas 26th in the Arizona system entering the year, lauding his three-pitch mix but noting that he’s often plagued by below-average control.

Locastro dislocated his finger attempting to steal a base yesterday and was known to be headed to the injured list. The recently-acquired Nick Heath is getting the nod in center this afternoon against Nationals righty Paolo Espino.

Diamondbacks Select Anthony Swarzak, Place Chris Devenski On Restricted List

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The Diamondbacks announced this evening they’ve selected the contract of reliever Anthony Swarzak. Fellow bullpen arm Chris Devenski has been placed on the restricted list in a corresponding roster move.

Swarzak signed a minor-league deal with the Arizona organization in early March. The 35-year-old is now in line to make his return to a major league mound after not pitching last season. Swarzak broke out with 77.1 innings of 2.33 ERA ball between the White Sox and Brewers in 2017, but he was less effective after signing with the Mets in the ensuing offseason. He struggled between a pair of injured list stints in 2018, and New York shipped him off to Seattle that winter. Other than a minor IL stint for shoulder inflammation, the veteran righty stayed healthy with the Mariners and Braves in 2019, but he only managed a 4.56 ERA/4.65 SIERA across 53.1 innings.

Devenski has pitched in two games for the D-Backs this season. He has been placed on the restricted list for unspecified personal reasons, manager Torey Lovullo told reporters (including Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic). No other updates are yet available, but Lovullo said Devenski’s situation is not related to COVID-19.

Diamondbacks Sign Anthony Swarzak

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The Diamondbacks have signed veteran right-hander Anthony Swarzak and added him to Major League camp as a non-roster invitee, per a club announcement. The Jet Sports client worked out for clubs back in January after he didn’t pitch with an organization during the 2020 season. (He was with the Phillies on a non-roster deal but was cut loose at the end of summer camp.)

It’s been a few years since Swarzak, 35, enjoyed a full, healthy season at the big league level. He inked a two-year, $14MM deal with the Mets prior to the 2018 season — a move that proved regrettable when shoulder and oblique issues derailed much of his 2018 season. The Mets included him in the Robinson Cano/Edwin Diaz/Jarred Kelenic blockbuster, primarily as a financial counterweight. He was traded to the Braves early in the year and went on to pitch reasonably well with Atlanta, though he again spent time on the IL that summer due to shoulder problems.

Back in 2017, Swarzak thrived in a career year split between the White Sox and Brewers. Through 77 1/3 innings, the righty worked to a 2.33 ERA with a terrific 30 percent strikeout rate against a strong 7.3 percent walk rate.

It’d be a stretch to expect that level of dominance at 35 years old and after a year of not pitching, but since returning from a KBO stint in 2015, Swarzak has tallied 201 1/3 innings of 3.98 ERA ball with peripherals that generally match that output. He’ll give the D-backs some depth in the bullpen and, given the unsettled nature of their relief corps, ought to have a chance at winning a spot on the Opening Day roster. Arizona has shored up the bullpen a bit over the past month, signing Joakim Soria and Tyler Clippard, but there are still multiple spots up for grabs.

Corey Kluber, Steve Cishek, Anthony Swarzak Throw For Teams

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Jan. 14: ESPN’s Buster Olney tweets that Kluber’s market could come together rather quickly with one throwing session for teams in the books. He’s not expected to require a second showcase to further demonstrate his health.

Jan. 13: Free-agent right-hander Corey Kluber held a showcase for interested teams today, and Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets that relievers Anthony Swarzak and Steve Cishek both threw for teams as well. (All three are clients of Jet Sports Management, so it’s natural that they’d host the workout together.) As many as 25 teams were present, per The Atheltic’s Britt Ghiroli (Twitter link).

ESPN’s Jeff Passan notes that Kluber’s velocity topped out at 90 mph, though given where he is in the rehab process from last year’s injuries, it wasn’t expected that he’d be up to peak velocity just yet. Eric Cressey, whose strength and conditioning facility hosted the showcase, told ESPN’s Jesse Rogers yesterday that Kluber was at 87-89 mph in the prior session. Cressey suggested that Kluber is already ahead of many pitchers who’ve not yet ramped up their throwing to this point. Kluber averaged 92 mph on his heater back during his excellent 2018 campaign.

The full list of teams in attendance isn’t known, although given that this was an open look at a two-time Cy Young winner and a pair of relievers with considerable late-inning MLB experience, it’d be more notable to learn which few teams weren’t in attendance than to know which clubs were. Still, it’s at least worth noting that each of the Mets, Yankees, Nationals, Red Sox, Rays, Twins, Cubs, Rangers, Marlins, Tigers, Pirates, Blue Jays, Diamondbacks and Indians were all reported to be attending the showcase. Obviously, it’s not an all-encompassing list.

Broadly speaking, if Kluber is indeed at a point in his rehab that inspires confidence, one would imagine the market for him will be robust. The extent to which clubs are willing to bet on a guaranteed contract on the two-time Cy Young winner will vary, but he should easily command a big league deal with plenty of incentives on top of whatever base the highest bidder will commit.

Kluber may be something of a lottery ticket at this point, but few gambles come with such pronounced upside. From 2014-18, the right-hander was one of the game’s premier pitchers, working to a combined 2.85 ERA while striking out 28.5 percent of the hitters he faced against just a 5.2 percent walk rate. Only three of the 179 qualified starting pitchers in that time period — Chris Sale, Clayton Kershaw and Max Scherzer — topped Kluber’s 23.3 K-BB%.

Since that time, however, he’s been limited to 36 2/3 innings by a fractured forearm (sustained when he was hit by a line drive), an oblique strain and a teres major strain. Traded from Cleveland to Texas last winter, Kluber pitched just one inning for the Rangers in 2020.

While most of the focus is understandably on Kluber, the presence of Swarzak and Cishek is certainly notable as well. Both righties are looking for rebounds of their own. Swarzak signed with the Phillies last winter but was released at the end of summer camp and didn’t sign with another club. A two-year, $14MM deal he signed with the Mets prior to the 2018 season proved regrettable, as shoulder issues torpedoed both of those seasons. However, back in 2017 Swarzak tossed 77 1/3 frames with a 2.33 ERA with 91 punchouts against just 22 walks.

Cishek, meanwhile, rattled off four straight seasons with a sub-3.00 ERA from 2016-19, leading to a $6MM deal with the White Sox last winter. He didn’t last on Chicago’s South Side, however, as he was roughed up for a 5.40 ERA in just 20 innings. Cishek’s control has been trending in the wrong direction the past couple of seasons, but he missed bats at his typical levels and didn’t see a velocity dip in 2020.

Phillies Release Anthony Swarzak

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The Phillies announced that right-handed reliever Anthony Swarzak has requested and received his unconditional release. Swarzak had been on a minor league contract since June. It was the second minors pact Swarzak signed with the Phillies dating back to February. The two sides reworked the initial deal.

The 34-year-old Swarzak isn’t that far removed from a brief run as one of the game’s most effective relievers. Between the White Sox and Brewers in 2017, Swarzak parlayed career-high 95 mph velocity into a 2.33 ERA/2.74 FIP with 10.59 K/9 and 2.56 BB/9 over 77 1/3 innings. That was enough to convince the Mets to sign Swarzak to a two-year, $14MM contract in the ensuing offseason. However, thanks in part to oblique and shoulder problems, his career has gone off the rails since then.

Swarzak only lasted a year with the Mets, who traded him to the Mariners in the teams’ Robinson Cano/Edwin Diaz blockbuster in December 2018. And he barely pitched for the Mariners, who dealt him to the Braves for fellow relievers Arodys Vizcaino and Jesse Biddle last May. Swarzak could only muster a 5.08 ERA/5.63 FIP with 9.63 K/9 and 4.63 BB/9 in a combined 79 2/3 innings among the three teams. The well-traveled veteran will now presumably look to catch on with yet another club.

Phillies Release, Re-Sign Anthony Swarzak

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The Phillies included just 53 players in their initial pool over the weekend, but right-hander Anthony Swarzak will soon be added as the 54th player, per The Athletic’s Matt Gelb (Twitter link). General manager Matt Klentak revealed to reporters that the Phils released and re-signed the veteran Swarzak to a new minor league contract.

Swarzak, 34, was one of many veterans in Phillies Spring Training on a non-roster deal prior to the league’s shutdown. He’ll vie for a spot on the Phillies’ expanded pitching staff after a pair of rough seasons split between the Mets, Mariners and Braves. An oblique strain in 2018 and shoulder issues in both 2018 and 2019 likely contributed to some of Swarzak’s recent struggles. Over the past two seasons, he’s pitched to a combined 5.08 ERA in 79 2/3 frames, although he’s managed to strike out more than a batter per inning in that time.

Swarzak’s results did improve following a trade from Seattle to Atlanta last year, as he gave the Braves 39 2/3 innings of 4.31 ERA ball — albeit with shakier peripherals. Consistency has been an issue for Swarzak throughout his career, but he’s had his share of success in the big leagues. He was a multi-inning bullpen workhorse for the Twins back in 2013 (2.91 ERA, 3.28 FIP in 96 innings of relief) and was a dominant setup man for the ChiSox and Brewers as recently as 2017 (2.33 ERA, 2.74 FIP, 91-to-22 K/BB ratio in 77 2/3 frames).

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