On January 3rd, the Arizona Diamondbacks signed free agent shortstop Kevin Newman to a minor league deal, according to Jon Heyman.
Newman attended the University of Arizona before being drafted in the 1st round of the 2015 MLB Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
He then made his MLB debut with the 2018 Pirates. Newman played in Pittsburgh for five years before joining the Reds in 2023.
While in Cincinnati last season, Newman posted a solid .253 batting average and .675 OPS. Over the course of his entire career, the 30-year-old has held .259 batting average to go along with a .662 OPS.
The minor league deal that he signed with the Diamondbacks does come with a Spring Training invite.
Right now, the Diamondbacks have Geraldo Perdomo as their starting shortstop. Behind Perdomo is Jordan Lawlar, but he may not be fully developed yet, as he went 4-31 in his brief stint with the Diamondbacks last season.
More must-reads: