Mariners add pair of pitchers; Sadler, Borucki elect free agency

The Mariners have a few pitchers coming and going a day ahead of the start of MLB free agency.

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Seattle announced four moves for their 40-man roster on Wednesday afternoon:

• Left-handed pitcher Gabe Speier claimed off waivers from the Kansas City Royals.

• Right-handed pitcher Easton McGee acquired from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for cash considerations.

• Left-handed pitcher Ryan Borucki cleared waivers and elected free agency.

• Right-handed pitcher Casey Sadler cleared waivers and elected free agency.

The move with Sadler is the most attention-grabbing. While he missed the entire 2022 season with a right shoulder labrum injury, he was not only one of Seattle’s best relief pitchers in 2021 but had an historic season out of the bullpen. His 0.67 ERA in 40 1/3 innings (just three earned runs allowed) was both the lowest in MLB that year and set a Mariners team record for lowest ERA in a season with a minimum of 30 innings pitched.

Prior to joining Seattle in 2020, the 32-year-old Sadler played for the Pirates, Rays, Dodgers and Cubs.

Borucki was a contributor for the 2022 Mariners after a June trade with Toronto, appearing in 21 games and posting a 4.26 ERA with 13 strikeouts and six walks over 19 innings. He landed on the injured list with a left flexor strain in August, which ended his season.

Speier, 27, is a four-year MLB veteran with Kansas City. He has a 3.83 ERA with 35 strikeouts and 15 walks over 41 career appearances (40 innings). In 2022, he had a 2.33 ERA with 14 strikeouts and five walks over 17 apperances (19 1/3 innings).

The 24-year-old McGee has appeared in just one MLB game to date, throwing three scoreless innings with a strikeout on Oct. 2. A fourth-round pick in 2016 by Tampa Bay, McGee has started 91 of the 101 minor league games he has appeared in.

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