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Mariners Sign Roenis Elias, Paul Sewald To Minor League Deals

By Connor Byrne | January 7, 2021 at 9:14pm CDT

The Mariners announced that they have signed left-hander Roenis Elias, righty Paul Sewald and infielder Jantzen Witte to minor league contracts.

This will be the third Mariners stint for Elias, who was previously with the team from 2014-15 and again from 2018-19. Formerly a starter, the 32-year-old has put up a 3.75 ERA over 377 innings in Seattle to this point. He has also taken the mound for the Red Sox and Nationals, though Elias has not pitched in the majors since 2019, owing in part to a flexor strain he suffered last season. Overall, Elias has logged a 3.97 ERA with a strikeout percentage of 19.7 and a walk percentage of 9.0 during his 388-inning big league career.

Sewald spent the first four seasons of his MLB tenure as a Met, but the 30-year-old struggled to a 5.50 ERA in 147 1/3 frames during that span. Witte, 31, has not played in the majors yet. The former Red Sox farmhand took 1,227 plate appearances at the Triple-A level for them and hit .261/.333/.370.

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Seattle Mariners Transactions Paul Sewald Roenis Elias

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View Comments (40)
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40 Comments

  1. PapiElf

    5 years ago

    Paul Sewald has a 1-14 Win/Loss record in his career

    Reply
    • angt222

      5 years ago

      All with the Mets but watch him excel with Seattle.

      Reply
      • Jaxondeats

        5 years ago

        I feel like a lot of pitchers get better when they leave the mets

        Reply
        • mpleau

          5 years ago

          I feel like everyone does better when they’re not on the Mariners.

          Reply
      • Rumors2godsears

        5 years ago

        Not usually Seattle’s luck, the opposite actually, Adrian Beltre, Justin Smoak.. I could think of other but yeah, usually not Seattle’s luck

        1
        Reply
        • 24TheKid

          5 years ago

          Huh. Using players from past management as an indictment on current player development I see.

          Reply
        • Chester Copperpot

          5 years ago

          Okay… Ketel Marte & Chris Taylor… just off the top of my head.

          Reply
        • wagner13

          5 years ago

          Counterargument: Successful rehabilitation projects from this regime include Graveman, Walker, and Sheffield

          Reply
        • 24TheKid

          5 years ago

          Chester, both are valid players to bring up no doubt.

          Reply
        • 24TheKid

          5 years ago

          Austin Nola as well who Dipoto got a bigger return for than most GMs are for far superior players.

          1
          Reply
        • slund24

          5 years ago

          @chester – I wouldn’t include Ketel Marte in there. He was a young kid (22) when M’s traded him who had a bright future. He was expected to be good and didnt really fully develop into an all-star until his 3rd year in Arizona which was at age appropriate development. He wasn’t someone they gave up on and got better with another team, M’s got 2 all-stars back in that trade.

          Reply
        • Chester Copperpot

          5 years ago

          Graveman has tossed 18.1 IP of 5.79 era baseball in a Mariner uniform. There is no better evidence for Dipoto deference than this.
          Walker has always been good.. He was good when DIpoto traded him, and he was good when Dipoto signed him. There was no “rehabilitation project” necessary.
          Sheffield was 22 and had seen 2 innings of the mlb, and was the 31st highest rated prospect in all of baseball when Dipoto acquired him. I don’t anyone would say Dipoto rehabilitated him.
          Graveman has tossed 18.1 IP of 5.79 era baseball in a Mariner uniform. There is no better evidence for Dipoto deference than this.

          Reply
        • Chester Copperpot

          5 years ago

          The statement was about players that get better when they leave Seattle… not about Seattle giving up on players.

          Reply
        • wagner13

          5 years ago

          That ERA was inflated by his first two games. Once he got moved to the bullpen, he allowed just 4 runs in 10 innings. Considering he was acquired for peanuts and coming off of major arm surgery, that’s promising.

          Walker already enjoyed success… like three years ago. He had not shown flashes of his former self after recovering from surgery until this last year.

          Sheffield’s stock plummeted considerably with the Yankees and he struggled in his first year with the M’s. Last year, he put it together and showed signs of reliability to come with a 3.17 FIP.

          I’m not saying any of these players are standouts, but you cannot deny that they improved upon signing with Seattle. As for your claims I’m a Dipoto apologist? I have absolutely no incentive to praise or denounce him. This is about as unbiased of a source as it gets

          Reply
        • slund24

          4 years ago

          Well yes, a 22 year old would probably get better as he was develops

          Reply
      • Buddy “Bud” Hull

        4 years ago

        Nice call. I’d say he was worth the flyer too.

        Reply
  2. Rangers29

    5 years ago

    Elias’s xFIP and SIERA make me think that his 2018 and 2019 seasons were both flukey. Both were super high versus his era and fip. And he’s not a strikeout pitcher either. He really isn’t a “groundball pitcher” or a “flyball pitcher”, despite that he just gets outs. I could see this move by a team like the M’s, Pirates, Marlins, but if the Dodgers or Blue Jays made this move, I would be more skeptical. He gets outs, and that’s what the M’s need in their pen. Fine move.

    Reply
    • Rangers29

      5 years ago

      I just noticed something about Elias by looking through his fangraphs page, all his pitches ticked up in velo in the 2018 season. What was most drastic was his fastball velo going from 92 to 94 average velo.

      I’m going to keep looking through his stats because I’m trying to figure out why he’s effective, yet the advanced stuff doesn’t like him.

      Reply
      • dannycore

        5 years ago

        It might be because he went from being a starter to a releiver. Kick it up an extra notch when you’re not trying to save some for later.

        1
        Reply
        • Rangers29

          5 years ago

          He switched from starter to relief in 15′ while I was looking at his 18′ and 19′ seasons. That wouldn’t explain the advances stats not liking him either.

          Reply
        • mlbfan

          5 years ago

          Lefty Roenis benefitted by Safeco being less generous to RH hitters, but even then he was lucky in 2018, and he had a good defensive catcher in Zunino. In 2019, Narvaez was behind the plate and he was unlucky. He’s a decent NRI.

          Reply
        • looiebelongsinthehall

          5 years ago

          As a Sox pitcher, he seemed overwhelmed on the mound yet his Seattle stats look amazing compared to what Boston put out there last year. I’m thinking they could have signed worse.

          Reply
      • Benjamin560

        5 years ago

        I bet it had to do with him attending the Mariners “Gas Camp.”

        2
        Reply
      • MortDingle

        5 years ago

        I think the M’s Gas Camp is for young pitchers, could he have gone to that camp cause it usually increases the velo.

        Reply
  3. bjhaas1977

    5 years ago

    Good luck Paul .

    Reply
  4. ms3b29

    5 years ago

    I think Mariners sign every pitcher Mets let go

    1
    Reply
  5. Mrtwotone

    5 years ago

    Roenis is a great buy low guy who has had some recent success

    2
    Reply
  6. SwingtheFNbat

    5 years ago

    Try outs! There all try outs. Nothing wrong here, they’re just filling out there spring training invitees. Maybe 1 will stick.

    4
    Reply
  7. DarkSide830

    5 years ago

    Witte leaving Boston’s system? say it aint so.

    Reply
    • Mlb1971

      5 years ago

      Hopefully Witte gets a chase to play in the mlb although I won’t hold my breath.

      Reply
  8. SodoMojo90

    5 years ago

    I’m pumped for this! Roenis was one of my favorite players here. And it was well known that he loved Seattle. I have no doubt in my mind that he’ll make the ML roster

    1
    Reply
  9. findingnimmo

    5 years ago

    Have fun with Paul. I never understood why certain players get so many chances and just prove over and over again they are not mlb quality players meanwhile there are tons of hardworking minor leaguers who never get that chance to show what they have. Paul is terrible at the major league level. Better than 99.9 percent of the world but definitely does not belong in the majors. You will find that out soon enough.

    Reply
    • Buddy “Bud” Hull

      4 years ago

      As it turns out, we are having a lot of fun with Paul. He’s been a valuable high-leverage, late innings pitcher who gets used multiple times a week and is dominant more times than not. Whether or not he was good with the Mets (we both know we was not) is not the case for how he’s turned the corner this year. Seattle trades away some unrealized talent too often, but their front office has a way of identifying minor league contract and Indy Ball players — specifically pitchers — who can make a difference.

      Reply
  10. king beas

    5 years ago

    Seawald is the worst Mets pitcher I’ve ever watched I’m beyond glad he’s in another organization so he won’t get called up and stink it up again

    Reply
    • Buddy “Bud” Hull

      4 years ago

      Yeah, that sucks. Nowadays he’s been ridiculously effective out of the bullpen after this signing, for what that’s worth. Probably not much to Mets faithful though.

      Reply
  11. Metsfan9

    5 years ago

    Poor Jantzen wasn’t even good enough to make the title

    Reply
  12. Benjamin560

    5 years ago

    Relax everybody. These are minor league contracts lol.

    Reply
  13. Mariners WS

    4 years ago

    Another burnt out arm, What’s up Jarry???

    Reply
    • Mariners WS

      4 years ago

      Mariners ws..2022

      Reply
  14. Mariners WS

    4 years ago

    Mariners ws..2022 !!!

    Reply

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