ESPN: MLB veteran prospect signs a minor league contract with the Red Sox.

The Red Sox said on Friday that they had invited veteran lefty Sean Newcomb to big league spring training and had signed him to a minor league contract. Klutch Sports represents Newcomb. Additionally, Boston stated that right-handers Austin Adams, Robert Stock, and Noah Davis had received non-roster invites and minor league deals. (We have already covered their agreements with Adams, Davis, and Stock.)

Newcomb, 31, is a high prospect and a previous first-round selection (Angels, 2014). In order to acquire Andrelton Simmons before the 2016 season, the Halos traded him to the Braves. Despite his poor performance, Newcomb appeared to be a mainstay on Atlanta’s staff for a few years. During the 2017–18 season, he started 49 games for the Braves and recorded a respectable 4.06 ERA with a 23.3% strikeout rate but a dismal 12% walk rate. Even more fascinating were the numbers when Atlanta moved him to the ‘pen in 2019: 68 1/3 innings, 3.16 ERA, 22.2% strikeout rate, and 9.9% walk rate.

The following three seasons saw a sharp decline in Newcomb’s performance. In the majors, he only tossed 73 2/3 innings and recorded a dismal 7.45 ERA. Newcomb’s walk rate increased to 14.7%, but his strikeout rate remained at 22.9%. Newcomb hit five batters and threw eight wild pitches in those 73 2/3 innings from 2020–22, after hitting just 10 batters and throwing 11 wild pitches in 332 1/3 frames from 2017–19. In addition to losing his ability to hit, Newcomb also saw his accuracy in the zone deteriorate; in 2020–22, he averaged 1.59 long balls per nine innings, down from an average of 0.97 home runs per nine innings in 2017–19.

Having pitched effectively in 2023 before requiring season-ending knee surgery and then underperforming in 2024, Newcomb has been with the A’s for the last two seasons. Over the last two seasons, he has tossed 25 MLB innings and given up 12 runs (4.32 ERA) on 17 hits, 17 walks, three batter hits, and 24 strikeouts. With a 3.12 ERA in Triple-A between the Giants and A’s in 2023–24, he has performed much better in the minor leagues. In those two Triple-A seasons, he has struck out 30.1% of opponents, but he has also displayed poor command (14.2%) in 40 1/3 innings.

Aroldis Chapman, Brennan Bernardino, and Justin Wilson are already left-handed alternatives in Boston’s bullpen under manager Alex Cora. Zach Penrod, a southpaw, is also included among the 40-man roster. Last season, he spent more time as a starter in the minor leagues, but with Lucas Giolito back and newcomers Walker Buehler and Garrett Crochet in the rotation, he would probably be starting in the bullpen on his way to the big in 2025.