Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Paul Sewald (38) celebrates after closing the game to win 4-3 against the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 26, 2024, at Chase Field in Phoenix. Owen Ziliak/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

Diamondbacks Reunite With Former World Series Closer

Originally posted on Arizona Diamondbacks on SI
By Alex D'Agostino | Last updated Feb 12, 2026 1:09 PM ET

The Arizona Diamondbacks are bringing back right-hander and former closer Paul Sewald, according to a recent report from the Arizona Republic's Nick Piecoro on X/Twitter.

It's a major league deal for Sewald that will be worth $1.5 million, pending a physical.

Sewald, 35, is a familiar face to the D-backs. Arizona traded for the right-hander back in the 2023 season at the deadline to become their closer. Sewald's presence locking down the ninth inning on that roster was instrumental in the D-backs' march to the World Series.

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Arizona Diamondbacks Bring Back Paul Sewald

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Though Sewald had an extremely successful back half of 2023 and beginning to 2024, he entered a steep decline midway through the 2024 season, blowing three saves in a row and four out of nine.

He was eventually relegated to lower-leverage duties, and finished his final season in Arizona with a 4.31 ERA. Following that, he spent time with the Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers in 2025, though no longer serving as a leverage arm.

Sewald posted a 4.58 ERA over just 19.2 major league innings for those two clubs, spending the majority of that season on the injured list as a result of two separate shoulder strains.

The Diamondbacks had entered 2026 without a clear idea of who would pitch leverage innings, with both closer options down on the IL recovering from Tommy John Surgery.

After Andrew Saalfrank's season was lost to shoulder surgery, Ryan Thompson and Kevin Ginkel were the only healthy arms with significant leverage experience. Sewald may not still be in his 2023 postseason form any longer, but he is a veteran with plenty of innings logged in the back end.