The Toronto Blue Jays knew their season was going to end on Sunday.
They knew they weren’t making it to the playoffs, and while disappointing, it also meant they could handle things in very specific ways to recognize their veteran players.
That was most obvious with Max Scherzer, who got all kinds of recognition throughout the game.
It was also the case with George Springer, who was teary-eyed when talking to reporters on Sunday.
But those weren’t the only two veterans who will be contemplating their baseball futures.
Paul Sewald also fits the bill.
Paul Sewald Hints at Retirement
The way the Blue Jays used Sewald on Sunday certainly made it look like he might be thinking this is the end of his journey.
The Blue Jays let Sewald pitch the ninth inning, the final frame of their season.
He also made sure to get the ball from Myles Straw after the final out.
Could they have just done that for a pending free agent? Maybe.
But it makes more sense in the context of at least a potential retirement.
Paul Sewald is 36 with 10 MLB seasons and 110 saves under his belt. He was given the 9th to close out the #BlueJays season, and asked for the ball from Myles Straw at the end of the game.
— Mitch Bannon (@MitchBannon) September 27, 2026
Paul Sewald Career
Sewald has had a long baseball journey.
He was a star at powerhouse Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, and then he went to play at the University of San Diego.
It was from there that Sewald became a 10th-round pick in the 2012 MLB Draft by the New York Mets.
He did first reach the major leagues with the Mets, but it wasn’t until his age-27 season in 2017.
Sewald went on to pitch in 125 games for the Mets with a 5.50 ERA. He never quite seemed like he’d be a long-term big leaguer.
Sewald left for the Seattle Mariners in 2021, though, and he had a 3.06 ERA in 62 games. He had arrived.
In 2022, Sewald had a 2.67 ERA in 65 games for the Mariners with 20 saves.
The next year, Sewald had a 2.93 ERA for Seattle in 45 games and was then moved to the Arizona Diamondbacks, who he had a 2.57 ERA with in 20 games.
The next year, Sewald pitched in 42 games for the Diamondbacks with a 4.31 ERA.
He got 18 games for the Cleveland Guardians in 2025 with a 4.70 ERA, then four more games for the Detroit Tigers with a 4.15 ERA.
Sewald then got 45 games with Arizona in 2026 with a 6.23 ERA before getting 16 games with the Blue Jays, for whom he dominated with a 0.66 ERA.
If this is it for Sewald, he pitched in 442 MLB games and had a 4.20 ERA. He also struck out 10.5 batters per nine innings in his MLB career while walking 2.9 per nine innings.
Sewald gave up a few too many home runs, but that was his only real flaw.
If Sewald wants to keep going, he could likely get a free agent contract — but that’s not a given at this point.
He’ll turn 37 years old in May, and at this point, Sewald will have to decide whether waiting out a potential lockout to maybe pitch at some point later in 2027 would be worth it.
If not, he finished with a solid outing on Sunday for the Blue Jays, and he got the baseball to prove it.
Blue Jays’ 10-Year MLB Veteran Hints at Retirement