Mariners trade their closer. Here are the players they are getting in return
As Paul Sewald hugged teammates goodbye in what was no longer his home clubhouse, news broke: Seattle had reportedly traded its closer to Arizona.
Just over 24 hours before MLB’s trade deadline, the Mariners made their first splash, sending Sewald to the Diamondbacks for major leaguers Dominic Canzone and Josh Rojas, plus Triple-A infield prospect Ryan Bliss.
In a separate deal announced alongside the Sewald trade, Seattle sent outfielder A.J. Pollock and utility player Mark Mathias to San Francisco for a player to be named later or cash considerations.
Sewald and the Mariners traveled home from Phoenix on Sunday, shortly after a series win where he earned his 21st save in Friday’s opener at Chase Field.
Now he goes back.
“I’m gonna miss this place,” Sewald said, still sorting through a myriad of emotions. “It was an amazing three years. It changed my life, it changed my career.
“I owe a lot to the people here, and I feel like I gave them everything I had for three years.”
The move reaffirms Jerry Dipoto’s intention of “better situating” the 2024 roster, as the president of baseball operations told Seattle Sports earlier this month. It also draws close comparisons to the 2021 deadline-deal orchestrated by Dipoto that sent former Seattle closer Kendall Graveman to Houston for young infielder Abraham Toro.
Nor was the move a surprise to Sewald, well aware of his trade availability in the closing days of his Mariners tenure.
“I get the save (Friday), come back, and (seeing) my phone says I’m being actively shopped, is tough,” he said.
Sewald owned a 2.93 ERA with 21 saves and 60 strikeouts in 43 innings for the Mariners this season. He was manager Scott Servais’ go-to reliever in high leverage situations, the final ninth-inning punch to a lineup that likely saw Andres Munoz in the eighth.
“The evolution of Paul Sewald as a Mariner was some kind of story,” Servais said during his pregame presser. “(He) signs a minor league contract, and to come in here, turn things around during (COVID)… to work his way back to be one of the best closers in the game.
“It’s hard. It’s really hard. A guy that’s meant so much to our team, and certainly the back-end of our bullpen.”
Now, Servais relies on a “mix-and-match” formula of Andres Munoz, Matt Brash, and Justin Topa in the final inning.
“It won’t be the same,” Servais said.
He nets Seattle a pair of major league bats, first reported by the Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro. The Mariners formally announced the deal roughly two hours later.
Canzone, 25, debuted for Arizona on July 8 and has appeared in 15 major league games. An outfielder, Canzone slashed .237/.293/.368 in his first 38 major league at-bats.
In 71 games for Triple-A Reno in 2023, Canzone crushed Pacific Coast League pitching and belted 16 home runs with a 1.065 OPS (257 AB).
Rojas, 29, has a .589 OPS in 59 games for the Diamondbacks this season. The utility player made his major league debut for Arizona in 2019 and put together a career-best campaign in 2022, slashing .269/.349/.391 over 125 games.
Bliss, 23, flashed exceptional hitting numbers for Double-A Amarillo (1.008 OPS in 68 games) before a promotion to Triple-A Reno on July 13. Arizona’s second-round pick in 2021 stole 35 bases and drove in 51 RBI across both minor league levels in 2023.
Meanwhile, Arizona (56-50) bolsters its bullpen amid a perhaps-unexpected playoff run. The Diamondbacks are just four games behind Los Angeles (59-45) for the NL West lead and sit one game out of the wild card.
Sewald now joins his new teammates in San Francisco for a road series with the Giants.
“I’m still in shock,” he said. “I came here thinking about ‘Plan B,’ and leave as a closer traded to a contender for three prospects. It’s kind of wild.”
Those above the fourth-place Mariners in the AL West have added before Tuesday’s deadline. Texas, the division leader by a single game, added Hall-of-Fame ace Max Scherzer and established starter Jordan Montgomery in separate deals with the Mets and Cardinals, respectively.
The Angels cemented their stance to compete with Shohei Ohtani in the final year of his contract by adding White Sox starter Lucas Giolito, an All-Star in 2019.
Seattle remains 4.5 games off the AL wild card pace and ranks in seventh place, blocked by two of its division rivals and four clubs from the AL East.
Still, the Mariners own the second-best record in MLB for July (16-9) and enter a crucial week — seven games against clubs just ahead in the playoff race. A three-game series with Boston begins Monday night at T-Mobile Park. A trip to Anaheim for four games with the Angels (Aug. 3-6) follow.
“I still like our chances,” Servais said. “I think we’re playing really good baseball. ... We’ve been on a good run. We’re winning series.”
This story was originally published July 31, 2023 at 3:54 PM with the headline "Mariners trade their closer. Here are the players they are getting in return."
