Tigers Acquire Veteran Guardians Reliever Paul Sewald To Bolster Bullpen

The Detroit Tigers got active early on trade deadline day, adding veteran Cleveland Guardians reliever Paul Sewald.

Jul 5, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Paul Sewald (34) throws a pitch during the eighth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field. | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Detroit Tigers are continuing to add to their pitching staff, this time acquiring Cleveland Guardians reliever Paul Sewald, per Chris McCosky of Detroit News.

After the big names like Jhoan Duran and Ryan Helsley were moved on Wednesday, the relief pitching market began to shrink. Many teams still need bullpen help and the price should only continue to rise.

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However, the Tigers will now walk away with their guy on a relatively low price, adding the nine-year MLB veteran to their bullpen.

Sewald has been elite in the past. While his current results have not been great, he still does a lot of things well and could end up as a valuable piece in the bullpen since he has postseason experience.

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The Guardians later announced that the return would be a player to be named later or cash, so this is a low-risk move for Detroit.

The 35-year-old has posted a 4.70 ERA with a 1.174 WHIP and 18 strikeouts in 15.1 innings of work. His FIP is at 4.07 and his xERA at 3.56, so he has been a bit unlucky.

He doesn't get hit very hard, strikes a ton of batters out with swings and misses and doesn't issue many walks.

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The most questionable aspect of this move appears to be the addition of someone who is currently recovering from an injury. Sewald was placed on the IL with a shoulder issue in the middle of July, and Cleveland did not give much of an idea of when he would be back.

RotoWire shared the most recent update on his injury and stated that it could potentially extend into September. While the Tigers do need him more in the playoffs than in getting through the regular season, it isn't an ideal situation.

Still, Detroit bolstered their relief staff, which is what they aimed to do before the deadline.

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