Guardians sign former Mariners star reliever

The Cleveland Guardians have added a strong arm to their bullpen.

The Guardians announced on Wednesday that they have signed Paul Sewald to a contract. The deal is for 2025 and includes a mutual option for 2026. The deal for 2025 is for $7 million.

The Guardians have designated pitcher Pedro Avila for assignment to make room for Sewald on the roster.

Sewald, 34, has pitched in MLB since 2017. He mostly struggled over his first four seasons, all spent with the Mets. But things changed when Sewald went to Seattle. He spent two-and-a-half seasons with the Mariners and was 18-8 with a 2.88 ERA and 52 saves. The Arizona Diamondbacks acquired Sewald in a trade ahead of the 2023 deadline. He pitched for Arizona in the second half of 2023 as well as all of last season.

Sewald earned $7.35 million last season and will be taking a small pay cut.

One of Cleveland’s biggest strengths is its bullpen. They have star closer Emmanuel Clase, who had a 0.61 ERA last season and led the league in games finished (66) and saves (47). They also have Cade Smith, Hunter Gaddis, and lefty Tim Herrin, all of whom had sub-2.00 ERAs last season.

With the addition of Sewald to the already strong group, the Guardians figure to have a dominant bullpen again in 2025.