Former Guardians free agent bust becoming integral part of D-backs’ bullpen 

Last year the Cleveland Guardians signed Paul Sewald to a $7 million contract in the hopes that he could turn into a solid set-up option ahead of Emmanuel Clase. Instead he was only able to give the Guardians 15 1/3 largely ineffective innings before being traded away at the deadline. 

But he popped back up in the offseason in a familiar spot with the Arizona D-backs, and, in a bit of a twist, seems to have become the team’s full-time closer. 

Former Guardians reliever Paul Sewald is pitching in high-leverage situations for D-backs 

After starting the season by getting one out against the Dodgers on Opening Day, Sewald picked up saves in back-to-back games during the D-backs’ sweep of the Detroit Tigers earlier this week. 

His first save came on Monday when he tossed a perfect ninth inning in a 9-6 Arizona win that included a game-ending strikeout of Spencer Torkelson. 

A day later he took the mound again and struck out the side in a 7-5 Arizona win. 

The biggest difference for Sewald this season compared to his stint with the Guardians is his fastball velocity, which has topped out at 92.6 miles per hour after averaging just 90.2 mph last year. 

While he said earlier this year that he doesn’t think that drop in velocity was caused by any kind of injury, he knew it was something he needed to address. 

He ended up spending a lot of time at Driveline Baseball, which has become the promised land for pitchers looking to get the most out of their arsenal. 

Sewald’s early-season success should look plenty familiar to Arizona baseball fans. His first stint with the D-backs started after they acquired him from the Mariners at the 2023 trade deadline, and he ended up recording 13 saves in the regular season before serving as the closer in their march to the World Series. 

He picked up 16 saves in 2024, which led to him signing his aforementioned contract with the Guardians. 

He started his tenure in Cleveland on a high note with a save on Opening Day, but he went on the injured list at the end of April due to right shoulder inflammation. He returned to make a couple appearances in July before once again going on the shelf, which led to the Guardians trading him to the Tigers for cash considerations. 

He made four appearances for the Tigers and was left off their postseason roster. 

While Arizona still doesn’t seem to have a true “closer” thanks to manager Torey Lovullo preference to use a committee in the ninth inning, it still seems like Sewald should get a chance to pitch in plenty of high-leverage opportunities in 2026.