Phillies release RHP Anthony Swarzak as season nears
By Matt Rappa
The Phillies have released relief pitcher Anthony Swarzak, who was in summer camp on a minor-league deal
There are just four days until Opening Day, and the Philadelphia Phillies will continue to adjust their 30-man roster and overall player pool in the days leading up to the highly anticipated game, home against the Miami Marlins.
In recent days, the Phillies released non-roster invitee veterans RHP Bud Norris and LHP Francisco Liriano, as well as infielder Logan Forsythe. On Monday, a fourth was let go — 10-year veteran relief pitcher Anthony Swarzak. The right-hander requested and was granted his unconditional release from the Phillies, according to NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Jim Salisbury.
Swarzak had signed with the Phillies in early February; in June, he was released and re-signed on a reworked deal. Swarzak is a classic journeyman player, having appeared with eight teams. His career ERA is 4.32 across 375 games, along with a 485-201 strikeout-to-walk and 1.353 WHIP ratios.
The Fort Lauderdale, Florida, native has primarily appeared as a middle reliever, with only 10 career saves in 10 seasons with the Minnesota Twins (2009, 2011-14), Cleveland Indians (2015), New York Yankees (2016), Chicago White Sox (2017), Milwaukee Brewers (2017), New York Mets (2018), Seattle Mariners (2019) and Atlanta Braves (2019).
As MLBTradeRumors.com notes, the right-hander has been involved a couple notable trades, which contributed to him bouncing around Major League Baseball some. The Mets dealt him to the Mariners in the blockbuster deal surrounding Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz. Not too long after, last May, Swarzak returned to the National League East, with the Mariners trading him to the Braves in exchange for Arodys Vizcaino and former high-ranking Phillies pitching prospect Jesse Biddle.
With Swarzak requesting his release, it is likely that he was informed he would not be among the 11 relievers the Phillies are expected to activate on the initial 30-man roster. We will surely hear more roster moves surrounding the team in the coming days as Opening Day gets closer.