Seattle Mariners Executive Vice President & General Manager of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto announced today that the club has acquired right-handed pitcher Connor Sadzeck from the Texas Rangers in exchange for minor league right-handed pitcher Grant Anderson.

To make room on the Major League, 40-man, roster right-handed pitcher Hunter Strickland has been transferred from the 10-day Injured List to the 60-day IL.

Sadzeck, 27, was designated for assignment by Texas on March 28. He made 8 Cactus League appearances (1 start) with the Rangers this spring, posting a 7.56 ERA (7 ER, 8.1 IP) with 11 strikeouts and 8 walks. The 6-foot-7, 240-pound right-hander made his Major League debut with the Rangers on Sept. 1, 2018 vs. Minnesota. He went on to post a 0.96 ERA (1 ER, 9.1 IP) with 7 strikeouts and 11 walks in 13 games (2 starts) with Texas last season.

Sadzeck was converted from a starting pitcher to a reliever midway through the 2017 season and since then has averaged nearly 11.0 strikeouts-per-9.0-innings at the minor league level. He was sidelined for the 2014 campaign, as well as part of the 2015 season, after undergoing ligament transplant “Tommy John” surgery on March 26, 2014.

Sadzeck was originally selected by Pittsburgh in the 45th round of the 2010 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of Crystal Lake Central (IL) High School but did not sign. After 1 season at Howard (TX) College, he was selected by the Rangers in the 11th round of the 2001 Draft. In 6 minor league seasons in the Rangers organization, he has compiled a record of 35-29 with a 4.19 ERA (247 ER, 531.0 IP) with 497 strikeouts and 247 walks in 155 games (91 starts).

Strickland, 30, was placed on the Injured List on March 30 with a right lat strain. Strickland notched saves in each of his first two appearances this season (March 20 and 21 vs. the A’s in Tokyo) without allowing a run. In his third appearance of the season (March 29) he faced 4 batters prior to being removed with stiffness in the back of his right shoulder. Overall, he is 0-1 with 2 saves and an 11.57 ERA (3 ER, 2.1 IP) this season.

Anderson, 21, made his professional debut in 2018 after being selected by Seattle in the 21st round of the 2018 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of McNeese State University. He spent the majority of the season with the AZL Mariners, where he went 1-1 with 1 save and a 2.00 ERA (2 ER, 9.0 IP) with 6 strikeouts and 5 walks in 10 relief appearances. He also made 1 appearance each with Short-A Everett and Single-A Clinton.