The Blue Jays are in a scrap for a Wild Card spot at 58-63 and just 2.5 games back, and their bullpen has been getting torched by attrition. Nine relievers are on the injured list right now, so Toronto went shopping on the waiver wire and came away with Paul Sewald, freshly cut loose by the Diamondbacks.
This isn't a reclamation project pulled out of nowhere. Sewald was a legitimate weapon in Seattle and Arizona from 2021-23, running a combined 2.89 ERA with 65 saves across 189.1 innings. Injuries chewed up his 2024-25 seasons and pushed that ERA to 4.40, and 2026 has been a tale of two halves — a 3.18 ERA with 18 saves and a 29.9% strikeout rate through mid-June, then a total collapse, giving up 17 earned runs on 7 homers over his final 10.2 innings before Arizona designated him for assignment.
The money is a non-factor here. Sewald was on a 1-year, $1.5 million deal, and Toronto is only on the hook for around $377K of what's left. To even make room on the 40-man, the Jays had to recall injured righty Jake Bloss from Triple-A and stash him on the 60-day IL — that's how thin this pitching staff has gotten.
Don't expect Sewald to walk in and take the ninth. Louis Varland is holding down the closer job, and Sewald slots in as setup depth alongside Tyler Rogers. Given how banged up the relief corps is, though, that role could expand fast if Toronto keeps limping through the injury list on the way to a playoff push.