Another MLB Wild Card contender just joined the market for a closer
· Yahoo Sports
At least Paul Sewald revealed his struggles ahead of the trade deadline this time.
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Sewald converted five saves in a row in July 2024, then allowed a run in his last ninth-inning appearance for the Arizona Diamondbacks before the deadline (which fell on July 30 that year).
The Diamondbacks acquired only two players on deadline day, first baseman Josh Bell and reliever Dylan Floro. Neither recorded a save for the defending National League pennant winners.
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Sewald shifted to a lower-leverage relief role and didn’t record a save over the final two months of the 2024 season, either. Arizona won 89 games and missed the playoffs.
This year, Sewald didn’t wait to lose his job as the D-Backs’ closer. He blew a save for the second time in three appearances July 28 in Pittsburgh. The Pirates tagged him for three runs in the ninth inning in a critical matchup between two Wild Card contenders, forcing Arizona to pull out a win in extra innings.
The D-Backs are 57-52, currently tied for the second Wild Card position in the National League. The Pirates (55-54) are one of four teams sitting two games behind.
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One day after the 12-inning victory, manager Torey Lovullo told reporters in Pittsburgh that the D-Backs would use a committee of closers going forward.
Lovullo told reporters that Sewald took the news like a “great teammate.”
Sewald, 36, is 2-5 with a 5.26 ERA and 24 saves in 42 games this season.
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His struggles clearly put the Diamondbacks in need of a closer before the Aug. 3 trade deadline arrives. In six days, teams will not be able to swap 40-man roster players.
San Diego Padres relievers Mason Miller and Jeremiah Estrada, Detroit Tigers closer Kenley Jansen, and the Colorado Rockies’ Jordan Romano — who has four saves in seven appearances since leaving the Angels — are on a short list of names that could be available in trades.
The Diamondbacks, however, are loathe to trade within their own division under Mike Hazen. That might make Jansen their preferred target, though Hazen will have competition for baseball’s active saves leader.