10:10am: It’s a minor league deal with a Spring Training invite, per Steve Gilbert of MLB.com.
8:59am: The Diamondbacks and infielder Kevin Newman are in agreement on a deal, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The specifics of the deal are not yet known.
Newman, 30, was a first-round pick by the Pirates in the 2015 draft and made his debut in Pittsburgh back in 2018 after being called up in late August. Newman appeared in 31 games for the club down the stretch but struggled badly in 97 trips to the plate, slashing just .209/.247/.231 during that time. Fortunately, Newman’s second taste of big league action went much better as the infielder posted the best season of his career in 2019. While acting as Pittsburgh’s regular shortstop, Newman slashed a solid .308/.353/.446 (109 wRC+) in 531 trips to the plate while striking out at a clip of just 11.7%.
Newman’s success did not last, however, as his offense cratered during the shortened 2020 season and his struggles at the plate continued into the 2021 season. While the Pirates stuck with Newman as their regular shortstop, he hit just .226/.268/.302 in a combined 726 trips to the plate across those two seasons. That production was good for a wRC+ of 52 that was 48% worse than league average and represents the worst slash line in the majors during that time among all regulars (min. 700 plate appearances). That weak production and a groin injury left Newman supplanted at shortstop by Oneil Cruz early in the 2022 season. Upon returning from injury in July and moving to second base, Newman provided the Pirates with decent production in the second half, slashing .279/.318/.371 (91 wRC+) in 257 trips to the plate from July 8 onward. Still, that improved production didn’t stop the Pirates from dealing Newman to Cincinnati last November in exchange for right-hander Dauri Moreta.
Joining the Reds ahead of the 2023 campaign left Newman to move into a part-time role as the club’s wave of young infielders including Matt McLain, Spencer Steer, and Elly De La Cruz took on regular roles throughout the season. Newman performed decently in his new role as a utility player, spending time at all four infield positions while slashing .253/.311/.364 (78 wRC+) in 253 trips to the plate, though his season was eventually cut short in mid-August by an oblique strain. The Reds then released Newman in late September, at which point he hit the open market.
The addition of Newman offers Arizona a high-contact bat capable of playing anywhere on the infield dirt. While his overall offensive profile leaves something to be desired, Newman’s ability to avoid strikeouts gives him value as a pinch-hitting option off the bench. Just 19 players with at least 200 plate appearances last season posted a strikeout rate lower than Newman’s 13.4% figure, and his career strikeout rate of 12% ranks sixth among active players with at least 1500 plate appearances since the start of 2018 season. That places him in rarefied air alongside the likes of Jeff McNeil, David Fletcher, and Yuli Gurriel.
Newman figures to continue in a utility role with the club. Though the details of his contract with the reigning NL champions are not yet available, Newman appears likely to battle with fellow utilityman Jace Peterson and infielder Emmanuel Rivera for a spot on the club’s bench this spring. Newman is the only member of that trio capable of playing shortstop, a fact that could give him a leg up even in spite of his relatively meager offensive production as he would likely serve as the club’s primary back-up to Gerlado Perdomo in the event that top prospect Jordan Lawler begins the season at Triple-A.
Hello Newman!
Mark my words, your day of reckoning is coming. And I’ll be there, in all my glory, watching – watching as it all comes crumbling down.
When you control the mail, you control…. information.
Vile weed!
The Pirates actually had a couple of middle infielders in 2018-2019 for a with the names Kevin NEWMAN and Kevin KRAMER.
Bring back the 2019 baseballs!
Backup infielder at most right.
weak side platoon player and defensive/UTIL sub for sure. he’s been passable at the plate the last two years but that’s because he’s facing lefties at a FAR higher rate than he was the previous seasons
he’s a career 96 wRC+ against lefties vs. a 68 against righties
2019 Kevin Newman would have been awesome. 2023 Kevin Newman is not too exciting. I’m not sure exactly what the motivation here is but in Hazen we trust
The only difference between 2019 Kevin Newman and 2022 Kevin Newman was the baseball.
I don’t get this move, but it doesn’t hurt to have minor league depth.
Newman!
Underrated player.
overated player…he wouldn’t have been shipped to Louisville AAA..the 2nd to last place Reds dumped him…No value and was a jerk at Redsfest!..Gobto Japan or KBO!! 1st round bust!
Would like to hear more about Redsfest. Newman was the consummate pro in Pittsburgh. I’m not buying the jerk innuendo.
It prob didn’t cost a lot and it’s not like Newman was a complete black hole at the plate, he hit what 250?
That’s better then most backup more glove then bat infielders that MLB teams have.
Guy looks like he’s gonna rake.
A signing of Seinfeld does not seem to be in the cards.
Patience. Remember, the Padres once had Benes.
George probably didn’t recommend him.
A few years back we Pirates fans thought there was to be a Newman and Kramer middle infield for several years but……Kramer flamed out and never became the MLB player we though he would be…..
I remember that, actually. I wondered what happened to Kramer later.
Crashed and burned. Traded to the Brewers in 2021 and they released at the end of 2021. The Bucs got a minor league pitcher, Nathan Kirby who they released in 2022
And now he does two shows a night at some Pittsburgh hotel lounge?
Lol! no clue what happened to him after he got released by the Brewers….
Then we have Cole Tucker who flamed out yet married a famous actress.
Best of luck Kevin. Going home to Arizona
Doh!
He doesn’t hit many Homers.
Last year he made under 2.7 million. I doubt that he’s getting much more than that which is close to the going rate for a veteran bench player. He can field multiple positions and isn’t a complete zero with the bat. Not all signings have to move the needle.
Good signing by the Dbacks. Newman is an above average hitter and fielder. In Cincy he was a victim of a deluge of young talent. If any of Arizona’s infield goes down with injuries he can step in without a hitch.
He raked against lefties last year early in the season, not so much against everyone else. Didn’t play much when the kids came up for obvious reasons. He should do well for his role in the desert.
One of the better pickups available for utility player spot on roster. Solid bat, low strikeouts. I liked it when the reds signed him last year. Good luck Mr Newman
Reds fan here – Newman crushes LH pitching to the point that, as a platoon, he hit leadoff for the Reds. Until he got hurt anyway…
wRC+ of 115 vs. LHP isn’t really crushing them.
Yeah, but it isn’t bad by any means as well. You can do worse for a bench bat.
Considering his lack of power, a wRC+ of 115 is actually pretty great!!
Not to mention, he is going to be used as a backup.
This is a very underrated and solid move for the D-Backs.
You have a weak hitter up against a strong lefty late in the game, and especially with a runner on third, you can just about guarantee that Newman is going to put the ball in play and score the run. We’ll, as long as there isn’t two outs..lol
But that’s just one, tiny example of how the D-Backs can utilize Newman.
Quality backup infielder, spot starter against Lefties, etc.
Plus, it’s a minor league deal, so it’s a pure W for the D-Backs. Excellent quality move, and if I were a D-Backs fan I’d be happy about this.
115 and 134 wRC+ against LHP the last two seasons. In Arizona he’ll be tasked with playing the short half of the platoon at shortstop while Geraldo Perdomo gets the vast majority of the starts against RHP. Also means Jordan Lawlar is ticketed for Reno unless he has an amazing spring. If not, he’ll need to put up video game numbers in Reno to earn another look.
Really good move. Much better then Jace! Dude is a solid hitter.
Good pickup for the utility role.
Despite the similar bats and the same last name, Kevin Newman is clearly not related to Al Newman.
Great news Kevin, #27 IS available !
I just checked.
I’ve figured out the mute button. You can only mute someone when they post a new post, not reply to someone. Time to hunt for the people who I hate on here
Hmm appears to not be completely true. I think how many likes/people replied effect it too
Newman is a solid depth signing; high contact to offset some of the Suarez Ks, plays every IF position including SS (not well, though), and is a RHB that can split time with Perdomo (and is an easy drop when Lawlar is ready). Him and Barnhart should fill out the rest of the bench fairly well (still waiting on that DH signing).
Everything on topic being said; you don’t want to talk to people? Don’t talk to people, but nobody cares that you don’t want to talk to them. Just move along with what you’re doing.
We’re here to talk about offesason signings and deals, this post specifically being to talk about a MiLB DBacks deal. There are enough angles to look at any given deal from that it’s a waste of time to spout personal nonsense.
highheat
On Newman/Lawler….if Lawler has a great spring, will Dbacks leave Newman in the minors as a depth piece in case of injury/poor performance?
Also, I think I understood that to get the extra draft pick like Dbacks did for Carroll’s ROY award, Lawler has to be on the Opening Day roster. Is that correct?
@scottaz
The benefit of it being an MiLB deal is that he doesn’t have to be added to the 40-man roster. I haven’t read anything about an opt-out if he doesn’t make the Active roster out of ST, so as far as I know he’d continue to play for the organization in AAA if Lawlar comes out hot in Spring.
He’s a solid fit in either situation, since he’s a more natural platoon fit with Perdomo than Peterson is, and is low enough cost that eating money after cutting him is easy to accomplish.
As far as the extra pick goes, he doesn’t have to be on the Opening Day roster; however, the incentive for RotY candidates coming up early is that if they do place top 2 in the award, then they’re awarded a full year of service time for that season.
highheat
Thanks
I think this signing signals a shift away from the long range strategy of a year ago. A year ago we all envisioned 2 waves of young/rookie talent, one wave in 2023 and the next wave in 2024. There were 12 young/rookie players in that first wave and 12 more in this coming year’s wave. But this signing indicates the Dbacks want more veteran depth pieces throughout the roster because of last year’s success.
Do you sense that shift in thinking taking place? I think it started with Hazen’s comments about not enough veteran pitching in the Dback’s postseason run.
I think that the author’s idea about Newman being a top pinch-hitter is a good one. In addition to being a high-contact bat who rakes against lefties, Newman is a good situational hitter. He knows when to move runners along, and he seemed to do very well in clutch situations as a Pirate, even in his down years as far as I recall.
All in all, he’s a great minor-league signing for any team and potentially and solid depth piece. Good luck Kevin.
1st round pick? what a bust!.
To be fair to Newman, he was drafted by the Pirates almost with the total intent of getting a reasonably polished college hitter while also saving money (that they used on KeBryan Hayes about 15 picks later). It was part of a general drafting philosophy by Neal Huntington, to take college players with low upside who could reach the majors quickly. The Pirates weren’t the only team that draft that whiffed on Austin Riley and Walker Buehler.
I remember my son being upset with him in a game we attended where Oneil Cruz tripled and was on 3rd with one out, Vlad Guerrero was essentially playing where a 2B should be – and Newman took a mighty rip and missed. My then 9-year-old son asked why he wasn’t bunting up the first base line. I can’t say whether that’s on Newman for a lack of game awareness or the manager for not putting the sign on. It was an easy run that the Pirates passed on.