Blue Jays claim Paul Sewald to reinforce taxed bullpen
TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays have added an experienced arm to a bullpen carrying a significant workload heading into the final stretch of the regular season.
Toronto claimed right-hander Paul Sewald off waivers from the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday. The 36-year-old is expected to be activated before Friday’s series opener against the New York Yankees at Rogers Centre.
Sewald arrives with extensive late-inning experience, although his results with Arizona this season have been uneven. He recorded 24 saves across 45 appearances, tied for fourth most in the National League, but posted a 6.23 ERA before being designated for assignment.
Beyond the ERA, some of Sewald’s numbers offer a more encouraging picture. He registered a 1.10 WHIP, limited opposing hitters to a .228 batting average and struck out 27 percent of the batters he faced. His 5.5 percent walk rate was also comfortably below his career mark of 7.8 percent.
Keeping the ball in the park has been Sewald’s most significant issue this season. The Blue Jays believe they may be able to place him in more favourable situations instead of immediately asking him to handle the highest-leverage matchups.
The timing of the move is particularly important with only 41 games remaining. Toronto can no longer manage its bullpen with the same long-term caution it might have exercised earlier in the schedule, but the club still needs enough available arms to avoid repeatedly using the same relievers on consecutive nights.
Sewald has spent much of his career working in pressure situations. The Las Vegas native has appeared in 426 games over 10 major-league seasons, recording 110 saves with a 4.30 ERA, a 1.14 WHIP and a .220 opponent batting average.
Originally selected by the New York Mets in the 10th round of the 2012 MLB Draft out of the University of San Diego, Sewald made his major-league debut in 2017. He has since pitched for the Mets, Seattle Mariners, Diamondbacks, Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers.
As part of Wednesday’s roster transactions, Toronto recalled right-hander Jake Bloss and placed him on the 60-day injured list.
