Mariners trade Paul Sewald to Diamondbacks in exchange for 3 players

The Seattle Mariners dealt closer Paul Sewald to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday for a trio of players ahead of Tuesday's upcoming trade deadline.

The Mariners are acquiring infielder Josh Rojas, outfielder Dominic Canzone, and minor league middle infielder Ryan Bliss in exchange for Sewald. The team announced the deal Monday afternoon.

"Dominic, Josh and Ryan are excellent fits for our organization," Mariners President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto said in a statement. "Each brings something a bit different to the field with athleticism being a common denominator. We feel like this deal makes us a deeper, more well-balanced team, both now and moving forward.

"Paul was a huge part of an excellent (bullpen) during his three years in Seattle. I’m forever thankful for his contributions, both on-and-off the field."

Sewald, 33, has a career-high 21 saves this season with a 2.93 ERA, 14 walks and 60 strikeouts in 45 appearances this year for the Mariners. In his three seasons with Seattle, Sewald has an 18-8 record and 2.88 ERA in 172 games with 55 walks and 236 strikeouts.

The Mariners have recalled reliever Juan Then from Triple-A Tacoma to fill Sewald's roster spot for the time being.

The deal feels remarkably similar to a move the Mariners made in 2021 when they traded closer Kendall Graveman and reliever Rafael Montero to the Houston Astros in exchange for utility man Abraham Toro and reliever Joe Smith in the lead up to the trade deadline. That trade frustrated the team's clubhouse as it came on the heels of a big victory the night before over the Astros as the Mariners were nine game over .500 and in the playoff chase.

Despite winning 90 games, the team fell short of a Wild Card berth in the postseason.

This year's team is 4.5 games out of a Wild Card spot and 5.5 games back in the AL West with a big series against the Boston Red Sox set to begin Monday night. The team sits at a season-high three games over .500 at 54-51. However, they've struggled to produce consistently on offense throughout the year to carry another strong campaign from the pitching staff as a whole.

Canzone and Rojas can both be of use to the major league team right away as the Mariners look for solutions in left field following the loss of Jarred Kelenic to a fractured foot and the trade of A.J. Pollock to the San Francisco Giants.

Canzone, 25, made his MLB debut with Arizona last month and has appeared in 15 games with the Diamondbacks. While Canzone is hitting just .237 with two doubles, a home run, two walks and eight RBI in the majors, he was batting .354 with 18 doubles, three triples, 16 home runs, 39 walks and 71 RBI in 71 games for Triple-A Reno this year.

Rojas, 29, has played in 381 career games over parts of five seasons with Arizona. He's played five different positions defensively, including third base (150 G), second base (96 G), left field (54 G), shortstop (44 G) and right field (43 G). Rojas is batting .228 with 13 doubles, 18 walks, 26 RBI and 6 stolen bases in 59 games with the Diamondbacks this season.

Bliss, 23, was a starter at second base in the Futures Game held at T-Mobile Park during All-Star Game weekend earlier this month. A former second-round pick in 2021 by Arizona, Bliss is batting .332 with 27 doubles, three triples, 13 home runs, 29 walks, 51 RBI, and 35 stolen bases in 81 combined games between Triple-A Reno and Double-A Amarillo this season. Most of that production came in Double-A as he was hitting .358 in Amarillo and is batting just .196 with two doubles, two triples and a home run in 13 games played in Reno since being promoted.