Red Sox Trade Left-Handed Starter to Athletics

Newcomb was recently designated for assignment by the Red Sox before this deal and will now look to bolster an improving Athletics’ squad.

At 31 years old, Newcomb has been a bit of a journeyman during his nine-year MLB career. After starting with the Atlanta Braves from 2017-22, he ended the 2022 campaign with the Chicago Cubs. He then pitched for the Oakland iteration of his current franchise for two seasons before signing with Boston on a minor league contract this past offseason.

With a career 4.51 ERA and 4.47 FIP entering 2025, Newcomb was expected to be nothing more than a depth arm for the Red Sox. However, early injuries to starters Brayan Bello, Lucas Giolito, and Kutter Crawford paved the way for Newcomb.

He made five starts for Boston in March and April, going 0-3 with a 4.43 ERA and a 2.85 FIP with 27 strikeouts to 11 walks. Those numbers about line up with Newcomb's career output, and he struggled to pitch deep into games, finishing five innings only once.

Despite Tanner Houck’s nightmare season, this staff still has four guaranteed arms in Garrett Crochet, Bello, Giolito, and Walker Buehler. Richard Fitts and Crawford can still vie for opportunities, and highly-touted prospect Hunter Dobbins (4.21 ERA, 3.04 FIP over seven starts and 36 and 1/3 innings) looks like a solid option so far.

Managing this cluster of pitchers is a difficult task, and while Newcomb performed admirably in a fill-in role, this feels like the best move for both sides.