Cubs lefty Sean Newcomb went unclaimed on waivers following last week’s DFA and has been assigned outright to Triple-A Iowa, the team announced to reporters (Twitter link via Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times).
As Lee points out, Newcomb has up to 48 hours to determine whether he’ll accept or reject the assignment — as is the right of any player with more than three years of Major League service time. However, a player needs five years of big league service to reject an outright assignment while still retaining the remainder of their salary in a given season. Newcomb entered the season with 3.123 years of Major League service and has since crossed the threshold into four-plus years, but he’s still well shy of five years. In other words, rejecting the assignment would mean forgoing what’s left of this season’s $900K salary, which he agreed to in order to avoid arbitration with the Braves over the winter.
Atlanta flipped Newcomb to the Cubs in a trade that sent veteran reliever Jesse Chavez back to the Braves. It’s a move that’s panned out brilliantly for the Braves, who have enjoyed 22 2/3 innings of 2.38 ERA ball from Chavez. Newcomb, meanwhile, has seen his longstanding struggles persist even following what many believed might be a necessary change of scenery. In 4 1/3 big league innings with the Cubs, he’s been tagged for eight runs on nine hits and two walks with four strikeouts. He’s also yielded six runs (five earned) in 4 2/3 frames with Chicago’s top minor league affiliate in Iowa.
It’s easy enough to see why the swap might’ve appealed to the Cubs. Newcomb is a former top prospect who’s had plenty of success from 2017-19 before falling into a decline beginning in the shortened 2020 season. He came to them with two years of club control remaining beyond the current campaign. Chavez, meanwhile, had only signed as a minor league free agent following the lockout and will become a free agent at season’s end.
Things simply haven’t panned out with Newcomb to this point, although assuming he indeed accepts his outright assignment, he’ll have the opportunity to get back on track in Triple-A over the remainder of the season. If he’s added back to the 40-man roster before season’s end, the Cubs will still be able to control his 2023-24 rights via arbitration. If not, however, Newcomb will become a free agent at the end of the season — as is customary for players with three-plus years of service who have been outrighted (and not returned to the 40-man) during the regular season.
He’ll accept that assignment. No doubt. 900k isn’t a lot in baseball money, but it’s still a lot. Especially for someone who may never the see mound of at the show ever again
He’s a lefty so he will get another shot. Sad to see always have been a fan. Was rooting for a turn around.
Same. Too much talent and potential wasted away. Reason I say he might not get up again is because I’m not sure he can perform in the minors enough to get another shot, but who knows. Big hard throwing lefty. He prob will
Agreed, go back down to AAA and find that magic again. He was so close to being a factor for the Braves until his skills went out the window. It seems 2020 messed up a lot of players concentration, maybe he’ll figure it out.
No what messed him up was after he had the game of his life against the Dodgers in 2019 someone uncovered his anti gay jokes from when he was in highschool. And it seemed to mess with his head.
Yeah and the “racist” jokes or slurs he used lol it’s sad that people can’t take a joke nowadays. I’m Latino and I truly don’t care about Latino jokes, unless you’re using it in a derogatory fashion. Regardless, I’m sure there’s a racial slur or counter joke that can always be said to the opposing race. Lol
If Matt Harvey and a bunch of these other has been a get a. Chance than a lefty at his age will get another chance. Curious what he picks to do but either option to me is a smart one. Try and figure it out in minors and help yourself next year, or hook on another team with a different coach and try and figure it out that way.
One day he will open his eyes and realize he could be the next Andrew Miller and be humble enough to make the move to the bullpen permanently instead of pouting on how he deserves to start and his insistence that he is a starting pitcher
If he does that the kid could be a dominant bullpen piece.
Yep. At this point, if he can’t get it together as a starter, move onto the bullpen and focus on being good for 1 or 2 innings instead of 5 to 7. Go back to the minors, lick your wounds and start the transition.
He has been pitching out of the bullpen almost exclusively since 2019, but you are right; he’s still pouting about it. If you can’t get hitters out the first time through the lineup, what makes him think he’ll be more effective seeing them multiple times in a game?
I’ll be shocked if he doesn’t accept his assignment to AAA and agree to do whatever they ask of him. If he doesn’t not, he may have throw his last picjr in MLB
For every one former top prospect that actually pans out, there’s 100 Sean Newcombs. Don’t obsess over prospect rankings. Use them as currency, which is their primary value, and acquire proven talent. Every once in a while you’ll wish you had one back, but more often than not it will be a non-issue.
Great philosophy if you have an unlimited budget, but those prospects are cost controllable for six years, and even the established players are not sure things. The only thing guaranteed is they cost more. Small and mid markets have to rely on prospects to be competitive. Cleveland can’t afford to trade Prospects for a Lindor type, but Lindor took a year off. For the money, Gimenez is working out nicely for 1/30th the price.
The strange thing about it is that he was very good for the first couple of years they called him up. All of a sudden, he just lost it and his not been able to rebound.
Depends on where you are in your timeline. I’m sure the Braves were fine w holding onto busts like Newk + Touissant when they found Ian Anderson, Soroka, Fried, and now Kyle Wright.
I’m sure most of Braves nation would’ve dealt Wright away at the deadline last year for some immediate help. Would’ve been a huge loss.
Duke Newcomb!!!!!!
I wish him the best. In all seriousness, it’s time to blow this team up and do a proper rebuild. They are hard to watch right now.