LAKELAND, Fla. — Veteran reliever Paul Sewald, who pitched for the Detroit Tigers down the stretch in 2025, agreed this week to a one-year deal to return to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Sewald, 35, previously pitched for Arizona in 2023 and 2024.
The Tigers held a $10 million option for Sewald but declined it in November, paying a $1 million buyout.
Sewald will reportedly earn $1.5 million with Arizona.
Sewald signed a one-year, $7 million deal with Cleveland last January but spent much of the season sidelined. After suffering a shoulder strain early in the year, he returned to pitch in 18 games for the Guardians before sustaining a new strain in July. The Tigers acquired him at the trade deadline, hoping he could boost the bullpen in September and the postseason. But he ultimately pitched in only four games for the Tigers and was not part of the playoff roster.
In parts of nine big-league seasons with five teams, Sewald has posted an above-average strikeout rate (28.6 percent) despite not throwing especially hard. He generally relies on two pitches: a 90–92 mph fastball and a sweeping slider. He served as a closer as recently as 2024 and recorded a career-high 34 saves with the Seattle Mariners and Diamondbacks in 2023.