Tigers bail on former first-round pick after trade with Guardians

The Detroit Tigers are acquiring right-handed reliever Paul Sewald from the Cleveland Guardians, as first reported by Chris McCosky of The Detroit News.

The Tigers will give up a player to be named later or cash considerations to the Guardians, per Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. Petzold also reported that right-hander Matt Manning has been designated for assignment to create room for Sewald on the Tigers' 40-man roster.

A former first-round pick in the 2016 MLB Draft, Manning has since become an afterthought in the Tigers' system. He last appeared in the Majors in 2024, when he pitched to a 4.88 ERA through 27 2/3 innings over five starts.

Even when Casey Mize spent time on the IL this year and Reese Olson and Jackson Jobe suffered season-ending injuries, the Tigers have still opted to go with Keider Montero or Dietrich Enns over Manning. Perhaps the writing was on the wall, but it's somewhat surprising that the Tigers opted to DFA a pitcher of Manning's pedigree instead of package him in a deadline trade.

Tigers DFA Matt Manning, steal Paul Sewald from division rival Guardians in unexpected reliever trade

The acquisition of Sewald is also a bit puzzling from the Tigers' perspective, as he has struggled with shoulder injuries all season. Most recently, he was diagnosed with a moderate teres major strain after undergoing an MRI during the All-Star break. Sewald was initially placed on the injured list on July 15, and the Guardians haven't provided a timeline for his return.

Prior to landing on the IL for the second time this season, Sewald made 18 appearances out of the Guardians' bullpen and logged a 4.70 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 18:4 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 15 1/3 innings this season.

The 35-year-old Sewald signed a one-year, $7 million with Cleveland in free agency and has posted exceptional strikeout and walk rates of 29% and 6.5% during his limited stint with the Guardians this season. Even if Sewald's stint on the IL stretches into September, he could still be a viable bullpen option for the Tigers down the stretch and into the postseason.

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