Seattle Mariners have acquired minor league right-handed pitcher Sal Biasi from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for catcher David Freitas.
With today’s roster move, the Mariners 40-man roster is now at 39 players.
Biasi, 23, has made 3 relief appearances with Single-A Wisconsin this season. He is 1-0 and has not allowed a run in 4.0 innings pitched, while striking out 5 and walking 2. Biasi split the 2018 season between the Royals and Brewers organizations after being acquired by Milwaukee from Kansas City in a minor league trade on Aug. 7, 2018 that sent Jon Perrin (rhp) to the Royals. With Single-A Lexington (KC) and Single-A Wisconsin (MIL) in 2018, Biasi went 3-3 with 3 saves and a 4.34 ERA (27 ER, 56.0 IP) with 57 strikeouts and 25 walks in 33 relief appearances.
Biasi, a native of Hazel Township, PA, was originally selected by Kansas City in the 11th round of the 2017 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of Penn State University. In parts of 3 minor league seasons with the Royals (2017-18) and Brewers (2018-19), he is 8-5 with 3 saves and a 3.26 ERA (42 ER, 116.0 IP) with 116 strikeouts and 50 walks in 49 games (8 starts).
Freitas, 30, appeared in one game with Seattle this season, going 0-for-2 with 1 run, 1 RBI and 1 walk in the Mariners home opener on March 28 vs. Boston. After being optioned to Triple-A Tacoma on March 29, he hit .278 (5×18) with 4 runs, 2 doubles, 5 RBI, 2 HBP and 5 walks in 6 games with the Rainiers.
In 36 games with Seattle last season, Freitas hit .218 (24×110) with 11 runs, 8 doubles, 1 home run, 5 RBI and 8 walks. The 6-foot-2, 240-pound catcher was claimed off waivers by Seattle from Atlanta on October 27, 2017. In parts of 3 Major League seasons with the Braves (2017) and Mariners (2018-19), he is a career .214 (24×112) hitter with 12 runs, 8 doubles, 1 home run, 8 RBI and 9 walks in 43 games.
Mariners recall RHP Erik Swanson; Place LHP Wade LeBlanc on IL
Seattle Mariners Executive Vice President & General Manager of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto announced today the following roster moves:
- Wade LeBlanc, LHP, placed on 10-day Injured List with strained right oblique.
- Erik Swanson, RHP, recalled from AAA Tacoma.
Swanson will be in uniform (#50) and available for today’s (1:10 pm PT) game vs. the Houston Astros.
Swanson, 25, was optioned to AAA Tacoma following the game on April 11. He made his Major League debut April 11 at Kansas City, tossing 2.0 innings and allowing a pair of runs. He struck out the first batter he faced, and finished with 4 strikeouts in 2.0 innings of work. Swanson tossed 5.0 shutout innings in his only appearance this season with Tacoma, starting and leaving with a 2-0 lead April 4 at Sacramento. He struck out 8, while allowing 6 hits, no runs and no walks.
Swanson was acquired by Seattle from New York-AL on Nov. 19, 2018 (with Justus Sheffield and Dom Thompson-Williams) in exchange for James Paxton. He split the 2018 season between AA Trenton and AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, going 8-2 with a 2.58 ERA (33 ER, 115.0 IP) with 133 strikeouts and just 29 walks in 22 games (20 starts), combined. He held opponents to a .204 (85×416) batting average against, and allowed 3 ER or fewer in 17 of 20 starts. Swanson was originally selected by Texas in the 8th round of the 2014 MLB First-Year Player Draft.
LeBlanc, 34, left Friday’s (April 12) game vs. Houston with 2 outs in the 5th inning with a strained right oblique. In 3 starts with Seattle this season, he is 2-0, 4.50 (8 ER, 16.0 IP) with wins over Boston and Chicago-AL. He has allowed 21 hits in 16 innings while striking out 12 and allowing 5 walks. In 2018 he was 9-5, 3.72 (67 ER, 162.0 IP) with 130 strikeouts in 32 games, 27 starts, with Seattle.
LeBlanc is in his second stint with Seattle after also pitching in parts of the 2016 season with the team. The Mariners originally acquired LeBlanc from Toronto on June 22, 2016 and traded him to Pittsburgh on Sept. 13, 2016. He remained with the Pirates until signing with New York-AL as a free agent on Jan. 17, 2018.
As a Mariner, he is 14-5 with a 3.95 ERA (100 ER, 228.0 IP) in 46 games, including going 14-5 with a 3.88 ERA (90 ER, 209.0 IP) in 38 starts. LeBlanc’s streak of 21 consecutive starts without a loss by a pitcher to start his tenure with a team is the 3rd-longest in Major League history dating back to 1920. He trails only Whitey Ford with the New York Yankees (22, 7/6/50-6/12/53) and Kirk Rueter with the Montreal Expos (22, 7/7/93-6/15/94).
LeBlanc is a veteran of 11 Major League seasons with San Diego (2008-11), Miami (2012-13), Houston (2013), Los Angeles-AL (2014), New York-AL (2014), Seattle (2016 & 2018-current) and Pittsburgh (2016-17). He has a combined Major League record of 41-40 with 3 saves and a 4.26 ERA (357 ER, 754.2 IP) in 211 games, 109 starts. Over the past four seasons (2016-current), LeBlanc is 20-7 with 3 saves and a 3.94 ERA (135 ER, 308.0 IP) in 104 games, 38 starts, with Seattle (2016 & 2018-2019) and Pittsburgh (2017).
