Paul Sewald trade: Diamondbacks to acquire Mariners closer in four-player deal

The Arizona Diamondbacks and Seattle Mariners have agreed to a trade for closer Paul Sewald, the teams announced Monday. The Mariners will receive utility player Josh Rojas, outfielder Dominic Canzone, and infielder Ryan Bliss in return.

Sewald, 33, has appeared in 45 games this season and has compiled a 2.93 ERA (139 ERA+) and a 4.29 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Those marks are in line with the numbers he accumulated over a three-year run with the Mariners (2.88 ERA) that saw him turn into a legitimate high-leverage reliever. Sewald, who coincidentally recorded two saves against the Diamondbacks over the weekend, will qualify for free agency after the 2024 season.

The Diamondbacks enter Monday with the eighth-highest bullpen ERA in the majors. Sewald should help improve that down the stretch.

The Mariners, meanwhile, have now traded away their closer at two of the last three trade deadlines; Kendall Graveman was shipped to the Astros in July 2021.

Rojas, 29, has the most big-league experience of the players going to Seattle. In parts of five seasons, he’s hit .252/.330/.367 (92 OPS+) while seeing most of his action at second and third base. He’s also appeared in the outfield. Rojas only recently returned from a demotion to the minor leagues. He could slot right onto the Mariners’ 26-player roster, depending on their plans.

Canzone, 26 come mid-August, has appeared in 15 big-league contests this season. He’s batted .237/.293/.368 (82 OPS+) with a home run. Canzone is an undersized outfielder with surprising power. He too should factor into the big-league equation for the Mariners over the remainder of the season. 

Bliss, 23, was a second-round pick in 2021 by way of Auburn. He’s split this season between the upper minors, hitting .332/.391/.556 with 13 home runs and 35 stolen bases. (Most of that damage came in Double-A.) Bliss could conceivably make his big-league debut later this season, although it seems more likely that he’ll arrive sometime next year.