The Arizona Diamondbacks made a difficult but necessary decision on Monday when they designated relief pitcher Paul Sewald for assignment. The move ends his second stint with the club and reflects the harsh realities of a bullpen that needs reliability as the season enters its final stretch.
Sewald returned to Arizona this offseason on a modest one-year contract worth $1.5 million, and for a while it looked like a shrewd bit of business.
The veteran right-hander settled into the closer’s role and delivered 24 saves, the most on the team. Through mid-June he was sharp, posting a 3.18 ERA over his first 28.1 innings and giving the Diamondbacks a steady ninth-inning presence.
Those early results helped stabilize late-game situations and reminded fans of the pitcher who contributed 34 saves across two clubs in 2023, including a stretch with Arizona.
The second half told a different story. July was particularly rough. Sewald allowed eight runs, five of them on home runs, in just 7.2 innings. The Diamondbacks responded by removing him from the closer’s role, hoping lower-leverage opportunities would help him regain form.
Instead, the struggles deepened. In consecutive appearances at the end of July and the start of August he recorded only one out while surrendering eight runs. His ERA for three August outings ballooned to 33.75. At season’s end he carried a 6.23 ERA across 45 appearances, numbers that simply could not be ignored.
From the club’s perspective, the decision was about protecting a competitive roster rather than discarding a player who once delivered.
Sewald’s 53 career saves in an Arizona uniform rank sixth in franchise history, a mark that speaks to the value he provided in previous seasons.
Yet baseball is unforgiving when results dry up. With younger arms and other veteran options available, the Diamondbacks chose to open a roster spot and explore alternatives that might better serve the stretch run.
Sewald, 36, now faces an uncertain path. Because of his service time he can refuse an outright assignment and elect free agency if he clears waivers.
Contending teams searching for late-season bullpen help may take a look, especially given the modest cost of his current deal. For Arizona, the move closes one chapter while the search for more consistent late-inning production continues.
The organization will move forward hoping the next option can deliver the kind of reliability Sewald showed earlier this year but ultimately could not sustain.
