If optimism were a fragrance, it might smell like sunscreen, freshly cut grass and hot dogs on a grill. Eau de Cactus League. The smell of a ballpark in springtime.

Except the Diamondbacks have a different scent. Following their acquisition of former closer Paul Sewald on Thursday, they carry distinct notes of desperation.

Rarely does a franchise welcome back a relief pitcher who inflicted civic trauma on a region like Sewald did in Game 1 of the 2023 World Series, a player who yielded a gut-crushing home run to the Rangers’ Corey Seager in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Had Sewald successfully closed that game, with the predictable victory from a red-hot Merrill Kelly the following night in Game 2, the Diamondbacks surely deliver a second championship trophy to the Valley. The memory still floods me with nausea.

The moment shook Sewald as much as it did the fan base. He returned the following season, but it was clear he had lost his mojo, and shortly thereafter his job as the team’s closer. Now he’s back on a one-year, $1.5 million deal.

Obviously, Sewald is not coming to Arizona to be the anointed closer. He’s a lottery ticket for the bullpen, proof that the Diamondbacks are shopping for lightning in bottles. They signed 34-year-old Nolan Arenado, 39-year-old Carlos Santana and now the 35-year-old Sewald. The gas in their collective tanks might not get you to Glendale in rush hour.

This much is also true: The Diamondbacks rank among the top five in Major League Baseball for percentage of revenue spent on players. Their competitive spirit and financial commitment to winning is considerable, and so is their acumen. They have locked up high-end young talent on team-friendly deals. They have relaunched the careers of J.D. Martinez and Geno Suarez. They have become the land of atonement.

Shelby Miller became a fan favorite in 2025 following a string of elite bullpen performances. He made up for a disastrous first stint with Diamondbacks, when he was acquired in a deal for the team’s No. 1 overall pick, Dansby Swanson. It was proof you can go home again. And now Sewald has the chance to re-write his own legacy in Arizona.

The 2026 season is guaranteed to be tumultuous and contentious. The impending lockout/labor impasse in baseball seems unavoidable and the discontent will roll in over the game midway through the season. Meanwhile, the Dodgers are trying their hardest to flex once last time, to purchase the greatest team in history; to three-peat when Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs couldn’t; to make an indelible mark on baseball before a salary cap changes the calculus forever.

Here in Arizona, the Diamondbacks are doing what they do best: rolling the dice, hanging on by their fingernails, staring down their demons while Sewald does the same.

Reach Bickley at dbickley@arizonasports.com. Listen to Bickley & Marotta mornings from 6–10 a.m. on Arizona Sports.