ESPN: The Red Sox sign a former Angels prospect who was traded for an MVP finalist.

The Angels made one of the most significant moves in franchise history just under ten years ago. Billy Eppler officially became general manager on November 12, 2015, when he traded Christ Ellis, fan favorite Erick Aybar, and Sean Newcomb to the Atlanta Braves. The Angels got Andrelton Simmons and José Briceño in exchange. As of 2025, Sean Newcomb is the only one of the players still participating in affiliated ball. The Boston Red Sox just offered him a minor league deal.

At the time, Newcomb was the 17th overall baseball prospect and the top prospect for the Angels. He was always good at spinning balls from north to south, but he was never able to restrict strong contact. Despite not throwing the hardest fastball, he also had trouble with walks during his career. The Red Sox will take a chance if Newcomb, who is currently 31 years old, keeps pitching successfully out of the bullpen.

Billy Eppler had no idea that he was setting the stage for Perry Minasian, the future general manager of the Angels. In terms of player personnel, the Angels and Braves will eventually overlap a great deal, including an absurd number of deals. The Angels undoubtedly won and had one of their better trade packages when they acquired Simmons from Newcomb. The Angels would never again outperform the value added in this transaction after this action. In some respects, this marked the end of the Angels’ chances of winning.

Andrelton Simmons was already well-known in the league for his defense, but after joining the Halos, his offensive game really took off. Simmons dominated at the plate in 2017 and 2018 following a strong 2016 debut season with the Angels. The two highest OPSs in Andrelton’s career were.752 in 2017 and.754 in 2018. Just four positions behind Mike Trout, Simmons placed eighth in the 2017 American League MVP competition. Thirteen positions lower behind Trout, he placed fifteenth in the 2018 AL MVP vote. Unfortunately for the Angels, Simmons was washed up and playing for the Minnesota Twins in 2021 when Shohei Ohtani received his first MVP votes and trophy.

Now that Simmons is a legend among the Angels, Newcomb will try to bring him back to life in Boston.