Athletics News

Home

Quizzes

Watch

Newsletter

May 18, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; A Boston Red Sox hat and glove rests on the railing by the dugout prior to a game against the Atlanta Braves at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

Former Boston Red Sox Lefty Thriving Since Joining A's

Originally posted on Oakland Athletics on SI
By Jason Burke | Last updated Sep 16, 2025 8:00 AM ET

Sean Newcomb started out as a first round pick of the Los Angeles Angeles back in 2014, going No. 15 overall, before being flipped as a big piece of the Andrelton Simmons deal with the Atlanta Braves following the 2015 season. He's been a starter and a reliever in his career, but in 2025, the Massachusetts native is finding his groove.

The A's originally acquired Newcomb from the San Francisco Giants in August of 2023, initially using him as a relief pitcher—where he dominated—before giving him a shot as a starting pitcher. Not too long into that experiment he suffered a season-ending sprained left knee, and he'd need surgery on both knees that offseason.

He wasn't quite ready for the start of the 2024 campaign, and wouldn't make his debut until June 4, but in his ten innings of work he held a 6.30 ERA and just wasn't seeing the same results he'd produced with the club the previous season. The Athletics ended up releasing Newcomb in early July.

That's when the lefty made a decision to take the rest of the campaign off instead of looking for a new landing spot imediately, in an effort to get his knees some rest and get them ready to go for 2025. That decision has paid off this season.

He signed a minor-league deal with the Boston Red Sox in January, and was added to their Opening Day roster out of camp, serving as the club's fifth starter. He'd stick in that role for five turns in the rotation, going between four and five innings of work each time out and racking up a 4.43 ERA. From that point he transitioned into more of a reliever/bulk guy role.

Eric Canha-Imagn Images

By the end of May, the Red Sox had traded him back to the A's while the Sacramento club was in the midst of a stretch that would run to 1-20. While the green and gold didn't turn things around immediately, he's been instrumental in helping get the A's bullpen back on track.

From the start of the season through May 27, the A's held a cumulative 5.96 bullpen ERA (4.55 FIP). That figure included the struggles of Mason Miller, Tyler Ferguson and a slew of others during the team's rough patch. From May 28th on, the A's have held a 3.94 ERA (4.26 FIP), which ranks them No. 14 in baseball over that span.

Of course, the arrival of Newcomb isn't the only contributing factor here. Ferguson turned things around, as did Miller before he was traded, and Michael Kelly was reinstated from his suspension in early June. But having a veteran in Newcomb provided the A's with a solid veteran that has taken over the on-the-field role that T.J. McFarland had last season as the primary left-hander in the 'pen.

Dennis Lee-Imagn Images

Newcomb has had a terrific season overall, and said that the biggest difference for him has been that his knees are beneath him for the first time in years. He's posted a 2.73 ERA overall this season across 92 1/3 cumulative innings between the A's and Red Sox, which is the most innings he's tallied since putting up 164 in 2018 when he was a full-time starter for Atlanta.

Even with roughly 70 fewer innings than he totaled in '18, he's been roughly as valuable, totaling 1.7 fWAR, compared to the 1.9 he put up with Atlanta that season.

When we talked a few weeks ago, Newcomb said that he would be very open to returning to the A's during the offseason, because he believes in where this team is headed in the near future. Given his performance this season, he could be a top priority for the club this winter.

We'll have to see how the offseason shakes out, but the two parties have familiarity with each other, and it's still not going to be easy for the Athletics to attract free agents to sign in Sacramento, so if someone that has run a 1.75 ERA while pitching for them wants to return, it would make plenty of sense to bring him back.

This article first appeared on Oakland Athletics on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: