Blue Jays saved Yankees from themselves by swiping reliever from D-backs

After striking out (and not really trying?) to land bullpen help at the trade deadline, it's highly likely that the New York Yankees will be scouring the waiver wire for help as August wears on. One potential option who was recently DFA'd was just scooped up by the Toronto Blue Jays, and we can't be happier to hear that news.

The Arizona Diamondbacks cut their former closer, Paul Sewald, loose, and given the title he held, it's reasonable that fans' ears perked up. Getting an arm with high-leverage experience sounds like the Yankees' dream, especially as Fernando Cruz hits a wall and the bridge to David Bednar has become shakier than ever before.

But as the Yankees were considering signing Sewald, the Blue Jays made a move. While that might sound like a bad thing, it likely isn't. Toronto is still hanging around the fringes of the AL wild card race, but so are many other teams. They're not a real threat to the Yankees (barring a disaster), and Sewald isn't likely to change their fortune.

In fact, one could argue that they did the Yankees a favor. Despite the closer label, Sewald hasn't been very good this season, and he's also a poor fit for New York's bullpen.

Why Paul Sewald wouldn't have been a fit for the Yankees

The 36-year-old left the desert with a 6.23 ERA. That's just the latest in a string of poor performances for the former New York Met. In fact, Sewald began his career in Queens and struggled over there, too, compiling a 5.50 ERA during the four seasons he spent at Little Brother's house.

From there, Sewald moved to Seattle and had a run of success with the Mariners. He eventually left the Pacific Northwest and their pitcher-friendly ballpark after 2023 and hasn't posted an ERA below 4.31 since.

While he carries a 27% strikeout rate this season and a 28.4% clip for his career, before you think that he could've been a Matt Blake reclamation project you must understand that Sewald is an extreme flyball pitcher. He has just a 27.5% ground ball rate for his career, and this season that's plummeted to a ridiculous 17.8% clip.

Not only does Sewald allow a lot of balls in the air, but a good portion of them travel over the fence. He's allowed 1.45 HR/9 for his career and an eye-popping 2.77 HR/9 this year. Imagine that in Yankee Stadium? It's the stuff nightmares.

Stylistically, the veteran right-hander was a bad fit, too. The Yankees lack high-end velocity in the 'pen, and even more now that they dealt hard-throwers like Yovanny Cruz and Camilo Doval. Sewald doesn't help at all on that front with an average fastball velocity of 91.4 miles per hour.

So, thank the Blue Jays for keeping him away from Brian Cashman and the Yankees. Hopefully, he serves up some of the meatballs he's well-known for against the Yankees in Toronto.

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