Former Arizona Diamondbacks reliever Paul Sewald has come to terms on a 1 year deal with the Cleveland Guardians the club announced Wednesday.
The deal will be worth up to $7M, and will include a $10M mutual option for 2026 with a $1 million buyout. Sewald’s 2025 figures feature a $1 million signing bonus and a $5 million salary with several performance bonuses which he can achieve based on the number of relief appearances he makes.
The 34 year old righty recorded 39.2IP for the D-Backs in 2024, making 16 saves, and striking out 43 batters along the way. He would ultimately lose his closer’s role in the late summer, and dealt with a variety of injuries throughout the 2024 MLB campaign.
Sewald didn’t make his season debut until May 7th due to a strained left oblique, and was eventually shut down on September 8th due to lingering discomfort on the left side of his neck.
Originally drafted by the New York Mets in the 10th round of the 2012 MLB draft, Sewald would break into the Major Leagues in 2017 with New York and spend the first 4 seasons of his career in Queens. From there he would join the Seattle Mariners in 2021 after signing a minor league contract with the club, before being traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 31st, 2023, for Ryan Bliss, Dominic Canzone, and Josh Rojas.
Over his career, Sewald sports a 20-25 record, with 84 saves, and 450 strikeouts over 376.1IP. He figures to mix into the Guardians late inning mix alongside closer Emmanuel Clase.
In a corresponding move, Cleveland designated RHP Pedro Avila for assignment to open a roster spot and also agreed to a minor league contract with RHP Riley Pint.
Photo: D. Benjamin Miller. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.