Guardians Sign Former Diamondbacks Closer
The Cleveland Guardians have signed former Mariners and Diamondbacks closer Paul Sewald to help bolster their bullpen. Although he was revoked from the closer role in 2024 with the Diamondbacks, Seawald has had a great track record over the last four years. The Guardians hope to bounce Sewald back on the one-year deal worth seven million. Seawald is a veteran reliever who has seen both ups and downs in his career. He brings a lot of experience with him including playoff experience when he helped the Diamondbacks reach the World Series in 2023.
Seawald broke into the league late at the age of 27 with the New York Mets. After being claimed off waivers by the Mariners, he saw his career take off. In 2021, he had 11 saves with a 3.06 ERA in his first season in Seattle. In 2022, he was even better with 20 saves and a 2.67 ERA. He again had a great year in 2023 and was traded to the Diamondbacks in the middle of the season and played a key role in helping them get to the World Series. In 2024 he looked to be on the same track before slowly declining during the middle of the season. He was eventually revoked from the closer role in what turned out to be his worst season since 2020. Although he had a down year, there is no reason to believe he can’t return to the same form he was just a couple of years ago. It was a down year for the Diamondbacks as a whole, even missing the playoffs. While they were above .500, the pitching staff as a whole looked a lot shakier than in 2023.
A big plus in Seawald’s game is he has seen the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. He was once one of the better closers in baseball and was a couple of wins away from being a World Series champion, he has also been on such a bad streak that he was removed as a closer and replaced. However, I believe this only builds Seawald’s resume. He understands what it takes to bounce back from a struggling season. Seawald was not one of the top names on the pitching market in 2024 and the Guardians are getting a steal out of him. Even if he turns out to not be the closer, he can still be used as a high-leverage arm out of the bullpen. He has shown the ability to be effective in tough spots and will contribute greatly to the team’s success.
