Former Seattle Mariners Closer Traded to American League Contenders
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The Seattle Mariners are in the middle of one of the best trade deadlines in franchise history. They acquired left-handed reliever Caleb Ferguson from the Pittsburgh Pirates and All-Star third baseman Eugenio Suarez from the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday. Those moves came a little less than a week after the team acquired first baseman Josh Naylor from Arizona on July 24.
A former Mariners closer is also on the move.
Former Seattle reliever Paul Sewald was traded by the Cleveland Guardians to the Detroit Tigers in return for cash considerations or a player to be named later Thursday, per Detroit News reporter Chris McCosky.
Official:
— Chris McCosky (@cmccosky) July 31, 2025
The Tigers have acquired RHP Paul Sewald from the Cleveland Guardians for a player to be named or cash consideration.
To make room for Sewald on the 40-man roster, RHP Matt Manning has been designated for assignment.
Sewald pitched for the Mariners for the better part of three seasons from 2021-23. The team traded him to Arizona on July 31, 2023, in return for current Chicago White Sox infielder Josh Rojas and current Seattle big leaguers Ryan Bliss and Dominic Canzone.
Sewald had a 2.88 ERA with 236 strikeouts across 171.2 innings pitched in 172 appearances with the M's. Sewald had 51 saves, including 40 in his last two seasons with the Mariners.
Paul Sewald is 𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐂 ⚡️
— ROOT SPORTS™ | NW (@ROOTSPORTS_NW) September 1, 2021
The @Mariners take the series against the Astros! pic.twitter.com/9mlsRhCtsA
Sewald became a free agent after the 2024 season and signed a one-year, $7 million contract with the Guardians with a mutual option for 2026. He's posted a 4.70 ERA this season with 18 strikeouts in 15.1 innings pitched across 18 appearances.
Sewald has dealt with injuries since being traded by Seattle. He's had four respective injured list stints over the last three seasons: a left oblique strain, left neck discomfort and two right shoulder strains.
He's expected back in September. The Tigers lead the American League Central.
Related Stories on Seattle Mariners
MARINERS TRADE ACQUISITION 'LIKELY' TO BE IN LINEUP THURSDAY: Eugenio Suarez will be in the Mariners lineup for Game 1 of a four-game series against the Texas Rangers. CLICK HERE
HERE'S WHAT MARINERS GAVE UP TO ACQUIRE ALL-STAR THIRD BASEMAN: The Mariners sent three top 25 prospects to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the trade for Eugenio Suarez. CLICK HERE
MARINERS ACQUIRE ALL-STAR THIRD BASEMAN FROM DIAMONDBACKS: The Mariners traded for Eugenio Suarez from the Diamondbacks, pending medical review. CLICK HERE
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