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Paul Sewald

D-backs Eyeing Back-End Relievers; Payroll Expected To Be In Same Range As 2024

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The Diamondbacks entered the offseason on the heels of a narrow postseason miss that saw their bid for a playoff spot last until the final day of regular-season play. It’s a bitter pill for any club to swallow, and general manager Mike Hazen didn’t shy away from acknowledging as much today in an appearance on Arizona Sports 98.7’s Wolf and Luke Show (full audio of the 11-minute interview). Arizona’s GM sidestepped questions when asked about specific players who are currently free agents (e.g. Christian Walker) but did suggest he’ll be in the market for some upgrades to his late-inning relief corps this winter.

“I’ll beat you to the punch on this question,” Hazen joked with hosts Ron Wolfley and Luke Lapinski. “Where we get to the closer situation, in the end, I don’t know. I still feel like a back-end bullpen guy to help out with [Justin Martinez] and with [A.J. Puk] and those guys, I still see that. I thought when [Paul Sewald] was closing, we had the best version of who we were, frankly. … But, we know [Martinez and Puk] can close, too, so we’ll see.”

Sewald, as referenced by Hazen, was a key piece in Arizona’s bullpen after coming over from Seattle at the 2023 trade deadline. He opened the 2024 season on the injured list due to an oblique strain but was virtually unhittable upon activation, rattling off 16 2/3 innings of one-run ball while only yielding five hits and three walks with 15 punchouts. He hit a rough patch over the next seven weeks, however, yielding 18 runs in 23 innings before landing on the injured list to close out the season. When healthy, Sewald has been terrific over the past four years, logging 229 innings with a 3.18 ERA and 81 saves between the Mariners and Diamondbacks.

A reunion with Sewald could make sense on paper, though the D-backs will have various other options to consider both in free agency and on the trade market. Sewald will turn 35 next May and posted his lowest average fastball velocity since 2019, so while his track record makes him a clear rebound candidate, the Snakes and other clubs will hold at least some degree of concern about his ability to bounce back from this season’s injuries. He should still command a nice one-year deal at the very least, given how well he’s pitched since 2021, but he’ll also surely draw interest from other teams as well.

Alternatives on the free-agent market are plentiful, though many will be costly. Tanner Scott, Jeff Hoffman, Carlos Estevez and Clay Holmes are among the top relievers in this year’s class, each with a chance to command at least a three-year contract. The D-backs have never committed three years to a free agent reliever at any point in the past 14 years — hat tip to MLBTR’s Contract Tracker — and haven’t committed more than the $14MM they gave Mark Melancon during Hazen’s time as GM. This winter’s market has several high-end arms who could be available for one year and an eight-figure salary (David Robertson, Kirby Yates, Kenley Jansen and Blake Treinen among them), which could serve as a means of adding an impact arm without bucking that preference to avoid multi-year spending on premium relievers. The trade market is likely to include names like Ryan Helsley, Devin Williams, Ryan Pressly and Pete Fairbanks, among others.

As with all clubs, the extent to which the D-backs can pursue upgrades is tied directly to ownership’s appetite for spending. Arizona currently projects for a $149MM payroll, per RosterResource, which is about $14MM from where they opened the 2024 campaign. Hazen doesn’t expect a significant dip in payroll but also cautioned that there’s no guarantee that what was already a club-record payroll will climb even higher.

“I would expect we’re somewhere in the same area, plus or minus,” said Hazen when asked about his budget for the 2025 roster. “I don’t know exactly where that’ll all end up. We work through a lot of these decisions with [owner Ken Kendrick] and [president/CEO Derrick Hall] as players become available or as situations get presented to us via trade or via free agency. So, that number kind of fluctuates for us a little bit as we move through the offseason, but we’re going to have plenty of resources to have a winning team next year.”

The D-backs aren’t going to idle with regard to their lineup, but Hazen spoke more favorably of the position-player group, noting high expectations for Corbin Carroll, Jake McCarthy, Eugenio Suarez, Ketel Marte, Geraldo Perdomo, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Gabriel Moreno, in particular. On the rotation side of things, Hazen downplayed rumors of a potential trade from his starting staff, noting that teams call all the time and it’s his job to listen — but that doesn’t mean a move is particularly likely.

Diamondbacks Place Paul Sewald On 15-Day IL, Activate Gabriel Moreno

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The Diamondbacks announced this afternoon that they’ve placed right-hander Paul Sewald on the 15-day injured list with discomfort in his neck, retroactive to September 12. In a corresponding move, catcher Gabriel Moreno was activated from the 10-day injured list. The news comes as something of a surprise, particularly given the fact that Arizona announced that they’ve designated right-hander Dylan Floro for assignment to make room for Blake Walston on the club’s active roster less than two hours before making this second series of roster moves.

Sewald, 34, has pitched just once since September 2 and has struggled in recent weeks, with a 7.71 ERA and 4.89 FIP in seven innings of work since August 19. Those struggles when on the mound and his extended stretches without pitching at all could be explained to an extent by the injury, but if Sewald has been hurt it’s surprising that the Diamondbacks have kept him on the roster rather than opening a spot in their bullpen for a fresh arm. Sewald will be eligible to return before the end of the regular season due to the back-dated nature of his placement on the IL, although no timetable for his return has been announced at this point.

Acquired from the Mariners at the trade deadline last year, Sewald was among the most coveted closers in the game at the time with a 2.88 ERA and 3.34 FIP in 171 2/3 innings of work for the Mariners since he landed with the club prior to the 2021 season. Things haven’t gone well for him since moving to the desert, however, as he walked 12.5% of batters faced down the stretch with Arizona last year and has two blow-up outings in the World Series against the Rangers, although those rough appearances were preceded by eight dominant outings throughout the postseason prior to that. Headed into 2024, Sewald retained his role as closer for the Diamondbacks and looked dominant early in the year before eventually losing that distinction back in August after a brutal month of July where he surrendered 12 runs in ten innings of work across 12 appearances.

Given Sewald’s deep struggles in the second half this year and his apparent injury troubles, it’s not clear where he stands in the Arizona bullpen as the club looks ahead towards what they hope will be their second consecutive playoff push. A return to form in the postseason would be a huge boost for not only the Diamondbacks but also Sewald’s own fortunes, as the 34-year-old is scheduled to reach free agency this winter in a free agent class that figures to be fairly deep in terms of relievers with late-inning experience.

In Sewald’s place, Moreno returns to the roster a bit earlier than expected. The youngster was described earlier this weekend as “very close” to returning alongside Lourdes Gurriel Jr. but seemed likely to be targeting a return to action later this week. With the 24-year-old now seemingly ready to step back into his regular role behind the plate, the Diamondbacks will now get to utilize his two-way talent rather than having to choose between a strong defender with lackluster hitting ability in Jose Herrera and an impressive bat with defensive question marks behind the plate in Adrian Del Castillo. Moreno was in the midst of a fine season prior to his injury, slashing .262/.344/.385 slash line with a 105 wRC+ in 314 trips to the plate this year.

Diamondbacks Remove Paul Sewald From Closer Role

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The Diamondbacks are pulling Paul Sewald from the closing role, manager Torey Lovullo announced before tonight’s game against the Pirates (X link via Steve Gilbert of MLB.com). Lovullo did not immediately name a replacement, suggesting the team could go with a committee approach.

Tonight’s game provided an immediate test. Arizona coughed up an early 5-0 lead but bounced back to take a two-run lead into the ninth. Lovullo tabbed sidewinder Ryan Thompson to close it out. Thompson gave up a couple singles and a run but successfully locked down a 9-8 victory. That usage could indicate the sinkerballer will get the bulk of the closing chances, though Arizona needed to use high-leverage arms Kevin Ginkel, A.J. Puk, Dylan Floro and Justin Martinez just to get it to the ninth.

In any case, the Snakes won’t give every narrow ninth inning lead to Sewald. The veteran right-hander had been almost spotless between his early May season debut through the end of June. He carried a 0.54 ERA over 16 2/3 frames. Sewald locked down his first 11 save chances in the process.

Things unraveled for him almost immediately once the calendar turned to July. Sewald gave up multiple runs and blew the lead in each of his first three outings of the month, all of which ended up being Arizona losses. He rebounded with five straight scoreless appearances, but he’s given up runs in three of his four most recent games.

Sewald blew a save in what turned out to be an extra-inning loss to Pittsburgh on Saturday. He got the call on Wednesday to hold a 5-2 lead against the Nationals but put four of five runners aboard (three via walk). Thompson came on and ended up securing a 5-4 win. That’s technically a hold for Sewald but obviously not a good performance.

The nightmarish few weeks came largely out of nowhere. Sewald has been one of the best relievers in MLB since his breakout with the Mariners in 2021. He turned in a 2.88 ERA over parts of three seasons in Seattle. Arizona’s call to send Josh Rojas, Dominic Canzone and Ryan Bliss to the M’s at last year’s deadline added needed stability to the back end of the bullpen.

It ended up being one of the biggest moves in the D-Backs’ surprising pennant run, as Sewald picked up 13 saves with a 3.57 ERA down the stretch. He wasn’t missing quite as many bats as he had in Seattle, but Sewald had a 2.10 ERA with a 25.2% strikeout rate over 34 1/3 innings as a Diamondback until last month. He is an impending free agent, so his performance down the stretch is especially important for him personally.

Arizona made a big deadline move for bullpen help for the second straight year, bringing in Puk for a pair of prospects last month. They swung a more minor deal for Floro minutes before the deadline on Tuesday evening. That gives them some cover to allow Sewald to work through this funk in lower-leverage spots.

The D-Backs are trying to hang onto a Wild Card spot in what remains a crowded National League field. They’re riding a four-game win streak to get a season-high eight games over .500 but are only one game clear of the Mets, the top non-playoff team at the moment.

Two big factors in their potential pennant push: Eduardo Rodriguez and Merrill Kelly. Arizona has been without two of their top starters for the bulk of the season. Rodriguez has yet to make his team debut after sustaining a lat strain in Spring Training. Kelly went down in mid-April with a shoulder strain.

The D-Backs could get a boost from both pitchers. Rodriguez should be reinstated from the 60-day injured list to start next Tuesday’s game against the Guardians, tweets John Gambadoro. Meanwhile, Gilbert relays on X that Kelly is slated to start a rehab stint that same night with High-A Hillsboro. That’d likely kick off a few week rehab process before he’s ready to get back on the mound at Chase Field.

Arizona did get a couple less encouraging updates on the pitching staff, though. Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic tweets that reliever Bryce Jarvis is likely to miss the rest of the season with an elbow sprain. The former first-round pick is not expected to require surgery but will need to be shut down from throwing. Jarvis has worked in a low-leverage relief role, tossing 59 1/3 frames of 3.19 ERA ball. His strikeout and walk profile is a lot less impressive than that ERA, but the Duke product has been a bullpen workhorse.

Rookie right-hander Cristian Mena is also likely done for the season. Alex Weiner of AZ Sports reported on Tuesday that the 21-year-old suffered a forearm strain in Triple-A (X link). Mena, who made his MLB debut last month with a three-inning spot start, is on the minor league injured list but could move to the 60-day IL if the Snakes need a 40-man roster spot. The Diamondbacks acquired him over the winter in a one-for-one swap sending outfielder Dominic Fletcher to the White Sox.

Diamondbacks Notes: Sewald, Thomas, Nelson, E-Rod, Perdomo

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Paul Sewald and Alek Thomas could both return from the injured list on Tuesday, when the Diamondbacks start a six-game road trip by facing the Reds.  Sewald has yet to pitch this season due to a Grade 2 oblique strain suffered near the end of Spring Training, while Thomas got four games under his belt before being sidelined by a hamstring strain.

Sewald seems to be the closer of the two to being activated, as he already joined the D’Backs in the clubhouse today prior to their departure for Cincinnati.  The closer started a Triple-A rehab assignment with two-thirds of an inning on April 23, but then his rehab was slowed down after he felt sore following a bullpen session.  A subsequent bullpen session went much more smoothly, and after tossing an inning in an extended Spring Training game Saturday, Sewald appears to be ready to get his 2024 season underway.

The return can’t come soon enough for an Arizona bullpen that has been shaky at best.  The Diamondbacks can only hope that Sewald can stabilize things as well as he did last summer after being acquired from the Mariners at the trade deadline, as Sewald solidified Arizona’s ninth-inning situation and played a huge role in the club’s pennant-winning postseason drive.  This success brought a bit of spotlight to a reliever who had largely flown under the radar in posting a 2.95 ERA over 189 1/3 innings with the M’s and D’Backs since the start of the 2021 season.

Thomas is much more familiar with the hype train due to his time as a top-100 prospect, but the outfielder is still looking to break out in his third Major League season.  On the plus side, Thomas has been an excellent defensive center fielder and he brings a lot of speed to the table, but his career .230/.273/.362 slash line (over 827 plate appearances) leaves a lot to be desired.

Once he makes his return, the Diamondbacks should be able to finally adopt their preferred outfield alignment of Corbin Carroll in right field, Thomas in center, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in left field, and Randal Grichuk and Jake McCarthy providing depth (with Grichuk likely spelling Thomas against left-handed pitching).  This alignment might have the carry-on effect of helping Carroll get on track at the plate, as the reigning NL Rookie of the Year’s struggles could be linked to the fact that he took over regular center field duty with Thomas sidelined.

Speaking of injury returns, the D’Backs got some reinforcement back today when Ryne Nelson was activated from the 15-day IL.  Nelson hadn’t pitched since he was struck in the elbow by a line drive on April 18, and while he looked a little rusty in allowing four earned runs in five innings today, it was still enough to earn a win in Arizona’s 11-4 rout of the Padres.

Nelson provides some help to a rotation that is still without Merrill Kelly and Eduardo Rodriguez due to their placements on the 60-day IL.  Kelly is gone until at least late June, but manager Torey Lovullo provided some news about Rodriguez today, telling Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports and other reporters that the southpaw will undergo some more tests on his injured lat muscle.  If E-Rod is feeling good and the tests come back clean, Lovullo said Rodriguez could soon start a throwing program.

Rodriguez started the season on the 15-day IL before being transferred to the 60-day, so late May represents the absolute best-case scenario for his first official appearance in a D’Backs uniform.  Since some significant ramp-up time will be required and Rodriguez has already been shut down from throwing once due to continued discomfort in his lat, it’s probably safe to guess that his rehab process will stretch into early June.

Lovullo also had an update on Geraldo Perdomo, as the infielder is throwing and taking grounders.  “Three weeks post surgery, so he’s gotta be careful with his next steps.  It’s getting close to him getting to full baseball activities and I’m excited about that,” the manager told Weiner and company.  Perdomo tore his right meniscus just shy of a month ago, so is on pace with the usual 4-6 week timeline associated with such injuries.

NL West Notes: Glasnow, Cobb, Sewald

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Dodgers right-hander exited today’s game against the Blue Jays after being visited by the team trainer and manager Dave Roberts following the sixth inning. While the circumstances of Glasnow’s departure were surely concerning for fans in Los Angeles, Glasnow told reporters (including Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register) that he was dealing with cramping in his right calf and right hand when he left the game. Glasnow added that he believed the incident was due to dehydration from unexpectedly humid conditions in Toronto this afternoon. Roberts went on to confirm to reporters (including Jack Harris of the L.A. Times) that the club does not have “any level of concern” regarding Glasnow’s health going forward.

The news surely comes as a relief for Dodgers fans, as Glasnow has struggled to stay healthy throughout his career. The righty made a career-high 21 starts with the Rays last year after pitching just 212 2/3 combined innings for the Rays between 2019 and 2022. Aside from his injury history, any injury scare for Glasnow would be particularly unwelcome for the club given the fact that he’s led the club’s rotation to this point in the season. Including today’s start, Glasnow has a 2.72 ERA in 43 innings of work across seven starts for the club this season with a 31.5% strikeout rate.

That dominance has been particularly welcome given the Dodgers’ lengthy list of starting pitching injuries. Each of Clayton Kershaw, Bobby Miller, Walker Buehler, Dustin May, Tony Gonsolin, Emmett Sheehan, and Kyle Hurt are currently on the injured list, and of that group only Buehler appears to be particularly close to returning. Fortunately, it appears that Glasnow should be fine to make his next start, remaining the club’s rotation mix alongside Yoshinobu Yamamoto, James Paxton, Gavin Stone, and Landon Knack.

More from the NL West…

  • The Giants recently transferred veteran hurler Alex Cobb to the 60-day injured list in the wake of the right-hander being slowed in his return from offseason hip surgery by a bout of shoulder inflammation. Per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, Cobb received a cortisone shot in his shoulder on Friday and a subsequent MRI on his shoulder showed enough improvement that the club is hopeful his discomfort will fade in the coming days. Presumably, Cobb will resume throwing once the discomfort subsides. The righty will first be eligible to return from the injured list on May 27, and manager Bob Melvin indicated last week that the a minimum stay on the shelf was a “realistic” timeline for the veteran. Cobb, 36, has pitched to a 3.80 ERA with a 3.41 FIP across 56 starts with the Giants the past two seasons.
  • Diamondbacks fans received some disappointing news regarding injured closer Paul Sewald this evening, as MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert relayed that (according to GM Mike Hazen) the right-hander’s rehab process is going to be “slowed” after Sewald experienced some soreness in the aftermath of his most recent rehab appearance. Hazen added that an MRI of Sewald’s oblique showed that he’s made good progress in his recovery but that the team will be cautious to avoid aggravating the injury. Sewald, 34 next month, was acquired by Arizona from Seattle prior to last year’s trade deadline and posted a 3.12 ERA and 3.57 FIP with 34 saves in 65 appearances between the Mariners and DBacks last year. Veteran righty Kevin Ginkel has handled the closer’s role in Sewald’s absence, with Ryan Thompson and Bryce Jarvis also contributing to the late-inning mix.

Paul Sewald To Begin Season On IL Due To Grade 2 Oblique Strain

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Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo revealed to reporters today that closer Paul Sewald has a Grade 2 left oblique strain and will start the season on the injured list. Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic and Alex Weiner of AZ Sports relayed the news.

Lovullo didn’t provide a specific timeline for Sewald’s expected absence. All players and injuries are different, but just for a frame of reference, Royce Lewis suffered a Grade 2 oblique strain last year and the Twins provided a timeline of six weeks. Lewis was on the IL from July 2 until August 15, roughly in line with that six-week estimate.

The news is obviously not good for the Snakes, as Sewald is a key member of their bullpen. Acquired from the Mariners at the deadline last year, he saved 13 games for the Diamondbacks down the stretch while posting a 3.57 earned run average. He then added another six saves in the playoffs as the D’Backs went all the way to the World Series.

He had a surprising breakout with the Mariners in 2021 at the age of 31 and has spent the past three years as one of the better relievers in baseball. Since the start of 2021, he has tossed 189 1/3 innings with a 2.95 ERA. He struck out 33.9% of batters faced in that time while walking 8.6% of them. He gradually earned more save situations over that stretch, notching 11 of them in 2021, then 20 the year after and 34 last year.

Needless to say, no club wants to lose its best reliever for any amount of time, but the D’Backs will now have to proceed without Sewald until he can work his way back to the club. In the meantime, they will have to figure out how to close down games without him. Kevin Ginkel, Scott McGough, Miguel Castro and Ryan Thompson are some of the club’s best relievers though no one in that group has more than 14 career saves.

Diamondbacks Avoid Arbitration With Christian Walker, Paul Sewald

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The Diamondbacks and first baseman Christian Walker have agreed to a deal to avoid arbitration, per Robert Murray of FanSided. The CAA Sports client will make a salary of $10.9MM in 2024. Right-hander Paul Sewald, a client of ISE Baseball, has also settled and will make $7.35MM this year.

Walker, 33 in March, has settled in nicely as an above-average first baseman for the Snakes. He hit 33 home runs last year and had solid walk and strikeout rates of 9.4% and 19.2%, respectively. His .258/.333/.497  batting line translated to a wRC+ of 120, indicating he was 20% above league average. His defense was also highly regarded, leading to 12 Outs Above Average, nine Defensive Runs Saved and a grade of 3.5 from Ultimate Zone Rating.

All of those numbers were quite close to his 2022 season, when he hit 36 homers, walked at a 10.3% clip and struck out in 19.6% of his plate appearances. He had a batting line of .242/.327/.477, 123 wRC+, 14 OAA, 17 DRS and 5.4 UZR.

This is his third trip through arbitration, as he made $2.6MM in 2022 and $6.5MM last year. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected him for a raise to $12.7MM in 2024, but he’ll come in almost $2MM below that. It’s his final season of club control before he’s slated for free agency.

Sewald, 34 in May, is also in his final season before hitting the open market. A late bloomer, he established himself as an excellent reliever in a breakout season with the Mariners in 2021, posting a 3.06 earned run average. He carried that over into 2022 and lowered his ERA to 2.67, racking up 20 saves in the process.

He continued to serve as Seattle’s closer until a deadline trade that sent Josh Rojas, Dominic Canzone and Ryan Bliss to the Mariners. Sewald continued to pitch well and stabilized the bullpen in the desert, helping the club push all the way to the World Series. He finished the year with a 3.12 ERA and 34 saves, plus six more saves in the playoffs. He made $1.735MM in 2022, his first arbitration season, then $4.1MM last year. He was projected for a raise to $7.3MM this year but will barely edge past that.

NL West Notes: Conforto, Manaea, Sewald, Dodgers

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Michael Conforto and Sean Manaea can each opt out of the final year of their contracts with the Giants, with Conforto owed $18MM in 2024 and Manaea $12.5MM.  Neither player has yet decided whether or not they’ll opt out, with Conforto telling NBC Sports Bay Area’s Alex Pavlovic that “I think the good thing is it’ll be a hard decision, but I don’t think there’s a bad outcome really.  It will be tough, just because I’m very close with these guys and the uncertainty there could give you a little bit of anxiety, but again, there are a lot of conversations that have to happen before I’m even close to knowing what I want to do.”

Conforto hit .239/.334/.384 over 470 plate appearances in a season shortened by a hamstring injury, while Manaea posted a 4.44 ERA over 117 2/3 innings while working as a starter, long reliever, and bulk pitcher behind an opener.  Manaea might be the likelier of the two to find a larger deal on the open market, as Pavlovic notes that a multi-year agreement could be possible since teams are forever in need of pitching.  Conforto could remain with the Giants and hope for a better platform year before re-entering the market next winter, though he’d be rejoining an outfield/DH picture that already looks crowded, and the Giants might still be making more moves to the outfield to add both athleticism and hitting pop.

Here’s more from around the NL West…

  • The Diamondbacks’ acquisition of Paul Sewald has proven to be one of the trade deadline’s most impactful moves, as The Arizona Republic’s Theo Mackie writes that the Snakes’ once-unsteady bullpen has turned into a strength.  From August 19 until the end of the regular season, Arizona relievers combined for a 2.94 ERA, with Sewald himself delivering a 2.84 ERA over 12 2/3 innings in that stretch, closing out nine of 10 save chances.  As noted by Mackie and D’Backs GM Mike Hazen, establishing Sewald as the closer allowed the team to stick to a pretty set formula for their bullpen usage, and this routine has helped the Diamondbacks both reach the playoffs and advance to the NLCS.
  • The Dodgers’ roster is broken down by J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group, with an eye towards whether or not several players could be back in Los Angeles in 2024.  Among the free agents, Hoornstra likes the chances of a reunion with Enrique Hernandez, as the utilityman’s multi-positional ability could help add depth if a DH-only player (i.e. Shohei Ohtani) were to join the roster.  On the other hand, David Peralta is basically limited to just left field and only against right-handed pitching, so it seems like L.A. might prefer internal options.  There also seems to be a chance the Dodgers will re-sign Jason Heyward, which could make Peralta further “redundant” since Heyward is also a left-handed hitter and a more versatile outfielder.

D-Backs Acquire Paul Sewald

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The Diamondbacks have added a key arm to the bullpen. Arizona and Seattle announced a trade sending Paul Sewald to the Snakes for infielder Josh Rojas, rookie outfielder Dominic Canzone and infield prospect Ryan Bliss.

Sewald was one of the top bullpen arms available. The right-hander has broken out as one of the game’s best relievers since landing in Seattle two and a half years ago. A minor league signee over the 2020-21 offseason, Sewald cracked the Seattle roster by May ’21. He had an excellent run in the Pacific Northwest, pitching to a 2.88 ERA over 171 2/3 innings. He kept his ERA at 3.06 or better in all three seasons.

He has paired that run prevention with very strong swing-and-miss numbers. Sewald punched out just under 35% of opposing hitters with Seattle. That includes a 35.5% strikeout percentage with a 2.93 ERA over 43 innings this year. His fastball only sits in the 92-93 MPH range but has well above-average spin despite a lower arm angle. That movement profile has translated into big whiff tallies. Sewald has gotten swinging strikes on over 14% of his offerings in each of the past three seasons.

Among 176 relievers (minimum 30 innings), Sewald ranks 10th in strikeout rate and 39th in whiffs. His 8.3% walk rate is acceptable and he has dominated hitters from both sides of the plate. Sewald is a fly-ball pitcher who has given up some homers in past seasons, but this year’s 1.05 HR/9 rate is almost exactly league average for a reliever. That well-rounded, consistent production quickly pushed him up a strong bullpen hierarchy. He has worked as the M’s primary closer this season, collecting 21 saves in 24 attempts.

Arizona has searched for that kind of reliability late in games for a while. The Snakes had one of the league’s worst bullpens in 2021-22. It hasn’t been quite so disastrous this season, thanks in part to free agent additions of Andrew Chafin, Miguel Castro and Scott McGough that have all worked out reasonably well. The D-Backs didn’t have anyone of Sewald’s caliber to lock things down, though. Kevin Ginkel and Drey Jameson (the latter of whom is out for a while with an elbow injury) are the only Arizona relievers with a sub-3.00 ERA. Left-handers Chafin and Kyle Nelson are the only pitchers with a strikeout rate above 30%.

Bolstering the pitching depth has been a priority for an Arizona club that has dropped eight of its last 10 to hold a 56-50 record. The D-Backs have fallen out of the projected playoff picture after leading the NL West for a good chunk of the season. They’re only a game out of the final Wild Card spot, though. Sewald will presumably step into the ninth inning for skipper Torey Lovullo. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweets that Arizona could look for another bullpen addition and is unsurprisingly still searching for rotation help over the next 24 hours.

Seattle’s position in that standings isn’t that dissimilar from Arizona’s. The Mariners are 54-51 and 4.5 games out in the AL Wild Card picture. They’re certainly not buried, though president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto acknowledged two weeks ago the club hasn’t played well enough to be aggressive deadline buyers. They’re reportedly open to offers on the likes of Teoscar Hernández and Ty France and have given some consideration to dealing from their stock of talented young starting pitching.

The primary purpose in all those talks is to subtract from an area of surplus to add controllable offensive help. The bullpen certainly qualifies as a strength. Seattle relievers are fourth in ERA and trailing only Houston in strikeout rate. Sewald was a big part of that success, of course, but the likes of Andrés Muñoz and Matt Brash are thriving in high-leverage capacities. Muñoz seems likely to take over the ninth inning with Sewald headed out.

In exchange, Seattle nets the kind of upper level hitting talent they’d been seeking. There’s perhaps no clear “headliner” of the deal, but all three players could factor into the mix in relatively short order. Rojas and Canzone have big league experience, while Bliss had recently worked his way to Triple-A.

Rojas, 29, is the most well-known of the trio. Originally acquired in the Zack Greinke 2019 deadline blockbuster with Houston, Rojas developed into a productive bat-first utility option. The left-handed hitter combined for a .266/.345/.401 batting line in over 1000 plate appearances between 2021-22. He’d never rated especially highly as a defender at any stop but had enough flexibility to move throughout the infield and into the outfield corners.

While not a franchise building block, Rojas looked like a quality role player. However, he has had a difficult 2023 campaign that pushed him into more a depth capacity of late. Rojas has hit only .228/.292/.296 over 216 trips to the plate and remains without a home run on the season. A walk rate that had sat north of 10% is down to 8.3%, while his strikeouts are up a few points to 23.6%. The D-Backs optioned him last month; he spent the bulk of his Triple-A time on the minor league injured list before returning to the majors when Evan Longoria went on the IL over the weekend.

Rojas has primarily played third base in Arizona but has a clearer path to playing time at the keystone in Seattle. Kolten Wong’s struggles have left the M’s with very little out of second base this season. Righty-swinging José Caballero has had a fine debut campaign but is nearly 27 and was never a top prospect. Rojas adds a left-handed complement to Caballero and Dylan Moore and could occasionally see some reps behind Eugenio Suárez at third base.

It’s a buy-low flier for Seattle that also helps to balance the trade financially. Sewald is making $4.1MM this season, his second-to-last year of arbitration. Around $1.37MM remains to be paid out. Rojas is playing on a $2.6MM arbitration salary, his first of four arb years as a Super Two player. He’s still owed around $867K through season’s end. Arizona will take on roughly $500K in salary, thereby preserving a decent amount of financial flexibility for further deadline pickups.

Rojas could be a non-tender candidate after the season, though he’ll get a couple months to try to secure his roster spot at T-Mobile Park. He could be joined immediately by Canzone, a left-handed hitting outfielder nearing his 26th birthday. He has struggled over his first 41 big league plate appearances but has had a monster year in Triple-A. Canzone mashed at a .354/.431/.634 clip with 16 homers through 304 trips to the dish in Reno, making him one of the top hitters even in a favorable offensive environment.

Canzone is limited to the outfield corners but clearly an accomplished minor league hitter. He could factor into the short-term left field mix. Jarred Kelenic is out into September after breaking his foot, while AJ Pollock is on his way to San Francisco. Canzone still has all three minor league option years remaining.

Bliss is not yet on the 40-man roster. A 2021 second-round pick of Auburn, he’s a right-handed hitting second baseman. Bliss struggled in his first full professional season but had a monster .358/.414/.594 showing in Double-A this year. That earned him a spot in the Futures Game and a recent bump to the top minor league level. Baseball America had ranked him the #16 prospect in a strong Arizona farm system, crediting the 5’9″ infielder with a hit-over-power approach and quality range as a defender.

Arizona gets a year and a half of control over the impact late-game arm they’ve been seeking for some time. Seattle is clearly open to reshuffling some veteran talent on the roster but is following through on their stated goal of adding upper level hitting. The M’s aren’t completely throwing in the towel on 2023 while adding more controllable talent.

Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic first reported the D-Backs were making progress on a Sewald trade. Jeff Passan of ESPN reported the deal as being finalized, while Piecoro first had the return of Rojas, Canzone and Bliss.

Images courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Mariners Willing To Listen To Trade Offers On Ty France, Teoscar Hernández

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The Mariners are listening to offers on certain players on their roster, with Bob Nightengale of USA Today listing Ty France, Teoscar Hernández and Paul Sewald among those being discussed. Their openness on Sewald was reported last week.

The fact that the Mariners are listening to offers isn’t necessarily a shock, as most front offices these days take the approach that no one on the roster is untouchable and it’s worth hearing out all offers as a way to gauge the market. But the Mariners are in a position where dealing major league players might not be an outlandish thought.

Their 54-51 record is solid, but has them in fourth place in a strong American League West. The teams above them in the division have already been some of the most aggressive this week, with the Rangers recently acquiring Max Scherzer, Jordan Montgomery and Chris Stratton while the Angels grabbed Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo López, C.J. Cron and Randal Grichuk. The Astros haven’t been quite so bold but did get Kendall Graveman from the White Sox, in addition to welcoming Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez back from the injured list.

The Mariners aren’t totally buried, currently sitting 5.5 games back in the division and 4.5 in the Wild Card race. FanGraphs still gives them a 16.9% chance of making the playoffs while Baseball Prospectus puts them at 15.2%. But since their position isn’t strong enough to be firm buyers, they might have to at least consider some selling, something that president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto recently admitted.

Listening on Hernández is understandable, as he’s an impending free agent. This summer’s market is generally considered to be light on impact bats, which could lead to the M’s receiving notable offers that help them in the future. But they would have to weigh those offers against hurting their chances here in 2023.

Acquired from the Blue Jays in the offseason, Hernández isn’t having his best season. His .238/.288/.408 batting line amounts to a wRC+ of 93, or seven percent below league average. But he hit .283/.333/.519 with the Jays from 2020 to 2022 for a 132 wRC+. The M’s were undoubtedly hoping for something more when they gave up Erik Swanson and Adam Macko for Hernández, especially considering his $14MM salary, but perhaps they can still recoup something before the deadline. Despite his diminished production, perhaps some club is willing to bank on his track record, especially with the aforementioned market conditions.

France would be a very different situation, as he can still be retained via arbitration for two more seasons beyond this one. Like Hernández, he’s having a down year relative to his own previous production, having hit .285/.355/.443 from 2020 to 2022 for a 128 wRC+ but just .253/.324/.367 this year for a 100 wRC+. That means that trading him now would be selling low and also punting on a player who could still help in the seasons to come. He’s making $4.1MM this year and will be due raises in the next two years before reaching free agency after 2025.

The Mariners have received a tremendous showing from Mike Ford recently, who was added to their roster at the start of June and has hit 11 home runs since then, serving primarily as the club’s designated hitter. His .238/.302/.540 batting line amounts to a wRC+ of 131. He comes with three further seasons of arbitration control, so perhaps the M’s might have some willingness to cash in France and try to put Ford at first base, but that would be a risky path. Ford’s breakout this year has come in just 139 plate appearances while he’s continued to strike out at a 35.3% clip and see 30.6% of his fly balls clear the fence. Since he hit .201/.301/.387 in 468 plate appearances prior to this year, he seems ripe for some regression.

The M’s might have to make some difficult decisions between now and the deadline, given the spot they’re in. They’re not totally out of it but would have to leapfrog teams like the Angels, Yankees and Red Sox before they’re even on the edge of a playoff spot. They could decide to make some moves that help them next year, though it might involve further limiting their chances here in 2023. It might also require them to sell low on players like Hernández and France. But the trade market was already light on impact bats, even before the Cubs pulled Cody Bellinger off the market. It’s understandable why the M’s might want to assess their options and see what a light selloff can do for them, but it would surely be a tough pill to swallow after they made the postseason last year for the first time since 2001.

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