The Toronto Blue Jays season officially came to an end this weekend. They closed out an otherwise disappointing year on a high note with a win against the Cincinnati Reds.
It was an emotional day for Toronto as it marked perhaps the last time George Springer and Max Scherzer ever played on a baseball field. Both are free agents and retirement is on the table for each of them.
However, they are not the only players who may have played their final game in a Blue Jays uniform.
Relief pitcher Paul Sewald was the last pitcher to take the mound for Toronto in 2026. After closing the game out, he took the ball from Myles Straw and saved it.
Sewald spoke with reporters after the season came to a close about his potential retirement and revealed that is exactly why he saved the ball.
Sewald said he does plan on playing if the league wants him, but admitted that with the uncertainty surrounding next year and his age creeping up, he is not taking anything for granted (h/t Mitch Bannon of The Athletic).
Sewald has certainly made his case to earn a big-league contract next year based on what he did in Toronto. He was designated for assignment by the Arizona Diamondbacks after posting a 6.23 ERA across 45 outings.
The Blue Jays claimed him off waivers and he completely flipped the script, allowing just one run in 14 and a third innings with nine strikeouts and four walks, looking like a glimpse of his former self.
If he had continued to struggle with Toronto as he had in Arizona, his career may have been over. Sewald suggested he would not have been willing to accept a minor league deal to keep going.
Instead, his late-season turnaround was a large enough sample to warrant another big-league opportunity in 2027, and a reunion with Toronto remains a possibility.
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