Why the Mariners’ Paul Sewald trade comes off as a bit of a surrender
If you were expecting fireworks, you’ll have to settle for a sparkler and a bag of party pops.
Yes, there is still time for more moves, but Monday’s transactions were a mishmash of meh.
A day before Tuesday’s MLB trade deadline, the Mariners dealt closer Paul Sewald to the Diamondbacks for a struggling hitter and a pair of prospects, then shipped off outfielder AJ Pollock and minor-league infielder Mark Mathias to the Giants for cash considerations or a player to be named.
None of this should come as a major surprise to M’s fans, who have watched their team mire in mediocrity for most of the season. And though the deals aren’t quite a concession on the 2023 season, it is an acknowledgment that they’re a fringe contender at best.
In other words: Seattle didn’t seem to get much better Monday.
Sewald has been the M’s go-to reliever in high-leverage spots for most of the season, collecting 21 saves and 31 games finished in 45 appearances — all while posting a 2.93 earned-run average. A couple of weeks before the All-Star Game, Mariners manager Scott Servais mentioned Sewald’s name as a possible addition to the American League roster for the Midsummer Classic and has praised him consistently all season.
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Has he been carrying Seattle’s bullpen the way Kendall Graveman did, to a degree, before being dealt two seasons ago? Not quite. But given his reliability, it’s hard to think the M’s — who are 55-51 after Monday’s 6-2 win over the Red Sox and seventh in the AL wild-card standings (three and a half games out of the final spot) — would have moved him if they were 15 games above .500.
So now they get third baseman/second baseman/outfielder Josh Rojas, who was productive last year for the Diamondbacks but has a WAR of -0.4 this year and an anemic OPS of .589. They get outfielder Dominic Canzone, who has played 15 major-league games and was considered Arizona’s 19th-best prospect. And they get middle infielder Ryan Bliss, who has yet to play in the majors and was listed lower than Canzone on the prospect rankings (not that these rankings are gospel, of course).
Your go-to guy out of the pen for that? It’s got all the buzz of a C-Span marathon.
On Monday, Servais called the deal “a good baseball trade, but one that hurts” due to his and the team’s relationship with Sewald. This was a pitcher who came in on a minor-league contract and established himself as one of the better relievers in the game over the past two and a half seasons, breaking out at age 31 in 2021 and seemingly improving each year.
Servais added that he liked what he saw from left-handed hitters Rojas and Canzone during their three-game series against the Diamondbacks over the weekend, touting their athleticism, defense and ability to balance their right-hand-heavy lineup.
Who knows? Maybe the Mariners become a better team in 2024 because of this trade. And there could be more dealing later. But for now, this is a long way from the move that put three-time All-Star pitcher Luis Castillo in an M’s uniform last July.
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There is no evidence suggesting this is a dumb move by Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto. He has said publicly (and truthfully) that his team hasn’t separated itself enough in the standings to become buyers this time of year.
But it does come off as a bit of surrender: The Mariners are likely not a playoff team, and Monday’s trade seemed to recognize that.
Of course, you never know what might happen with Seattle’s current roster. The Mariners entered Monday’s game with Boston having won their past three series. They also went 13-2 to start the 2019 season, when they finished 68-94. Basically, any team, regardless of talent level, can go on a run — and the Mariners are more capable than many given their starting pitching.
They also have a bevy of arms in the bullpen. This likely factored into Dipoto’s thinking. Sewald often got the call in the ninth, but among Justin Topa, Matt Brash, Tayler Saucedo, Andres Munoz and others, there is plenty of relief for this departed reliever.
Still, this couldn’t have been what most fans foresaw happening at the deadline before the season began. Not after that playoff-drought-breaking 2022 that featured so many standouts still under contract in Seattle.
But this is the reality. The Mariners’ closer is gone, and this Mariners season feels closer to being lost.
Source: The Seattle Times
