Insider Reveals Why Guardians Signed Veteran Pitcher

Paul Sewald will provide a much-needed veteran presence in the Cleveland Guardians bullpen.

Aug 24, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher Paul Sewald (38) pitches during the ninth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images | Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

Out of all the position groups the Cleveland Guardians needed to address this offseason, their bullpen wasn't one of them.

However, one of their only winter additions was signing veteran reliever Paul Sewald to a one-year deal.

So, why did the front office feel that this area needed to be deepened? What does this mean for the rest of the reliever core?

Cleveland.com's Terry Pluto shared a little bit of what he's heard and why he believes the Guardians decided to add Sewald for the 2025 season.

Cleveland's decision to add another bullpen arm was largely influenced by the questions in the starting rotation.

According to Pluto, "The Guardians want to give manager Stephen Vogt and pitching coach Carl Willis lots of options in the bullpen."

The Guardians had the best bullpen in 2024, but also one of the most used because of the rotation's struggles. Cleveland relievers covered 623.0 innings, the fourth most in the American League.

Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Paul Sewald (38) throws to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the ninth inning at Chase Field on Sept. 2, 2024, in Phoenix. | Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

On top of that, Sewald also has experience as a closer throughout his career, which could help take some of the load off Emmanuel Clase.

Sewald has tallied 50 saves over the last two seasons and was one of Arizona's key bullpen pieces in high-leverage innings during their 2023 World Series run.

"Giving Vogt a veteran reliever with closing experience can carry some of the burden," wrote Pluto.

"You can look at the Guardians' roster and project Hunter Gaddis and/or Cade Smith as future closers. Both have the power arms needed for the job. But Cleveland also wants an experienced person closer to protect Clase."

There are also the intangibles that a player can bring to a team that doesn't show up in the box score or stat sheets. Sewald is regarded as one of the better locker guys in MLB and has a lot to offer a still relatively young, reliever core.

Pluto wrote that "An MLB source told me that 'the Guardians consider Sewald 'a great teammate and leader. They consider the injuries last year to be rather minor, and they think he'll bounce back. They are hoping for a bounce back year and they continue to work on depth for their bullpen.'"

Sewald's addition undoubtedly makes the Guardians bullpen stronger and deeper for the 2025 season.

While Cleveland still needs an outfield bat or starting pitcher, Sewald's addition could allow the Guardians to capitalize on this depth and use some of it as trade bait later in the season.

Although it may have been a semi-confusing signing at the time, adding Sewald could certainly have a major impact on the Guardians throughout the season.