Position: RP B/T: R/R
Age: 34 (5/26/1990)
2024 Traditional Stats: 1-2, 4.31 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 42 G, 39.2 IP, 43 SO, 10 BB, 16 SV
2024 Advanced Stats: 0.2 bWAR, 0.3 fWAR, 98 ERA+, 26.1 SO%, 6.1 BB%, 3.78 xERA, 3.95 FIP, 4.31 xFIP
Rundown
Paul Sewald started 2024 on the injured list with a strained left oblique and ended it on the IL with pain in the left side of his neck. He made his first appearance on May 7 and converted his first 11 save chances until he hit a rough patch in early July.
Sewald blew saves in three consecutive appearances to the Dodgers, Padres, and Braves. He rebounded to convert his next five save chances, but after another blown save and a near scare, he lost his closer job. He had an uneven month of middle relief work in August before making his last outing of the season on Sept. 8.
Lefties hit the eight-year veteran well this year, slashing .281/.361/.500 in 64 at-bats. He was tough on right-handed hitters, holding them to a .195/.237/.391 line. He features a fastball and a slider.
Sewald was picked by the Mets in the 10th round of the 2012 draft and made his debut with New York in 2017. He went 0-6 with a 4.55 ERA his rookie year and 0-7 with a 6.07 ERA in his sophomore season. In four years with the Mets, he was 1-14 with a 5.50 ERA.
A change of scenery did wonders. Sewald went to Seattle as a free agent in 2021, where he went 10-3 with a 3.06 ERA and 11 saves. In three years as a Mariner, he went 18-8 with a 2.88 ERA and saved 52 games. “I’m the pitcher today because of my three years with Seattle,” he told the Seattle Times in 2023.
Sewald was dealt by Seattle to Arizona at the 2023 trade deadline and became a factor in the Diamondbacks’ improbable run to the pennant. He saved six games combined in the three rounds of the NL playoffs while striking out 11 over eight scoreless innings. He earned the save in each clinching victory over the Brewers, Dodgers and Phillies.
However, he was roughed up by the Rangers in the World Series. He blew a save in Game 1 when he gave up a game-tying, two-run homer to Corey Seager in the ninth inning and surrendered four runs in the ninth inning of a 5-0 loss in Game 5.
Contract
Sewald played 2024 on a one-year, $7.4 million contract. He has accumulated $14.9 million in career earnings, per Spotrac.
Recommendation
It would make for a cool career arc to see Sewald return to the team that drafted him and go out a winner. But I think whatever unlocked Sewald in Seattle and brought him glory in Arizona will be hard to rediscover due to age and injury. Reunions can be fun, but I’d pass on this one.
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