ATLANTA – The Atlanta Braves today acquired RHP Anthony Swarzak and cash considerations from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for RHP Arodys Vizcaíno and LHP Jesse Biddle. 

Swarzak, 33, is 2-2 with a 5.27 ERA (8 ER/13.2 IP), three saves, and six home runs allowed in 15 games out of the Mariners bullpen this season, his first with the club. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound native of Fort Lauderdale, FL, joined the Mariners in a seven-player trade that sent Robinson Canó and Edwin Díaz to New York (NL) last December. He signed a two-year, $14-million contract with the Mets on December 15, 2017. 

Swarzak has appeared in 10 major league seasons with Minnesota (2009, 2011-14), Cleveland (2015), New York-AL (2016), Chicago-AL (2017), Milwaukee (2017), and New York-NL (2018), while also spending part of 2015 with Doosan of the Korea Baseball Organization. Swarzak is 25-34 with a 4.33 ERA (289 ER/601.1 IP) in 331 career major league games, 32 starts. 

Originally drafted by Minnesota in the second round of the 2004 First-Year Player Draft out of Nova High School in Florida, Swarzak started and won his major league debut for the Twins on May 23, 2009. He made his first Opening Day roster in 2012 with the Twins, and moved to the bullpen fulltime in April of that season. In 2013, Swarzak led all relievers with 96.0 innings pitched, and since that season, is one of five relievers in baseball with at least 100 multi-inning relief appearances (103). 

Swarzak’s next relief appearance will be the 300th of his career, and out of the bullpen, he is 18-16 with nine saves and a 3.75 ERA (182 ER/437.1 IP). He went 7-18 with a 5.87 ERA (107 ER/164.0 IP) in 32 starts.  

The Braves designated Biddle for assignment on May 15 after the lefty went 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA (7 ER/11.2 IP) in 15 games out of the bullpen this season. Vizcaíno allowed one run in 4.0 innings over four games before undergoing right shoulder surgery on April 17.