The Mariners will use a committee to close out games again in 2022, Jesse Borek of MLB.com reports. "We'll have a number of guys who will finish off games for us," manager Scott Servais said.
Sewald was one of the top breakout relief pitchers of 2021, using the change in his fastball angle to explode his strikeout rate. He certainly possessed closer skills last season with a 39.4% strikeout rate and a 30.3% K-BB%. But his ability to go longer in outings can work against him, as it could encourage Servais to turn to Sewald earlier in the game and get 4-to-5 critical outs, as he did five times in September last year.