Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo gets brutally honest on Paul Sewald DFA decision

The Arizona Diamondbacks made the decision to DFA Paul Sewald hours before Monday’s contest against the Colorado Rockies. It was a move that cleared up roster space for right-handed pitcher Zack Littell, as the 10-year veteran has largely struggled this year.

Manager Torey Lovullo explained later on Monday just how difficult it was for him to move on from the 36-year-old right-hander, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports. Lovullo called it a “brutal decision” while claiming Sewald left a positive impression on the Diamondbacks this season.

“Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo says it was a ‘brutal decision’ to DFA popular veteran reliever Paul Sewald,” Nightengale reported.

“He’s meant so much to this organization,” Lovullo said about Sewald after the DFA decision.

In Sewald’s 10 years in MLB, he’s spent about two of them with the Diamondbacks. He was initially traded to the club from the Seattle Mariners in 2023 and remained with Arizona through the 2024 campaign. After departing in free agency before the 2025 season, Paul Sewald returned to the organization in 2026.

This season has been absolutely dreadful for Sewald. Through 39.0 innings pitched, he owns a 6.23 ERA and 1.103 WHIP with 44 strikeouts and 24 saves. The number of blown saves is likely why Arizona felt it was time to move on from Sewald.

But the bullpen in general is an utter disaster this year. While Sewald is out of the picture, the closer role is up for grabs as Justin Martinez, AJ Puk, Andrew Saalfrank, and Ryan Thompson are all on the IL. That’s not even including the other six pitchers (three starters, three more relievers) on the IL as well.

Fans may get an idea about who will play that closer role on Monday. The Diamondbacks will take on the Rockies in the first matchup of a three-game series at 9:40 p.m. EST.

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