A taxed Toronto Blue Jays bullpen is getting some reinforcement. Toronto claimed reliever Paul Sewald off waivers from the Arizona Diamondbacks Wednesday, according to Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith.
Sewald, 36, has struggled badly with Arizona this season, posting a 6.23 ERA across 45 games and 39 innings, with 44 strikeouts against nine walks.
His recent stretch has been especially rough. Since July 1, he's allowed 13 runs, 12 earned, on 14 hits over just nine innings, including six home runs allowed.
But his track record shows real recent success too. He picked up 16 saves for Arizona as recently as 2024, and he was excellent across three seasons with Seattle from 2021 to 2023, collecting 52 saves with an ERA that never rose above 3.06 in any of those years.
He now joins a Blue Jays bullpen that's been pushed to its limit during a stretch of 30 games in 31 days, exactly the kind of grind John Schneider recently admitted has made "sustainable" a word that's basically left the conversation.
Rule 5 pick Spencer Miles has stepped into bigger moments during this stretch, earning his first career save Tuesday in a 5-3 win over Boston, and now sits at a 3.12 ERA on the season.
Why adding a veteran arm makes sense even given the recent struggles
Toronto's corresponding roster move to create space for Sewald wasn't immediately clear, a detail that should surface soon given how tight this bullpen's workload has become.
A waiver claim like this costs Toronto almost nothing beyond a roster spot, the kind of low-risk depth add that makes sense regardless of Sewald's rough recent numbers.
It's a bit like picking up a proven veteran on a one-day contract, betting his track record still has something left even after a genuinely difficult stretch.
Does Sewald's history of success in Seattle and Arizona suggest he can stabilize in a smaller role for Toronto, or has his recent form made him too much of a gamble during a stretch this important?
Toronto continues managing its bullpen carefully during this grueling schedule stretch, and Sewald now becomes the newest arm thrown into that mix.
Do you think Paul Sewald can be a useful addition to the Blue Jays bullpen despite his recent struggles?
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