Veteran pitcher Sean Newcomb had arguably the best season of his career in 2025. Now, he’ll cash in on that with the White Sox, as Chicago signed the left-hander to a one-year deal. The move gives the White Sox another left-handed reliever for their 2026 bullpen.
A Look at Newcomb
Back in May, the Athletics acquired former Red Sox pitcher Sean Newcomb in a trade with Boston, sending cash to the Sox three days after he was DFA’d on May 24. Turns out, that proved to be a very good move.
Newcomb had an excellent season overall, as he struck out 91 batters over 92.1 IP between Boston and the A’s. The left-hander posted a 1.75 ERA with the Athletics after the May trade.
During the second half, Newcomb was nearly spotless; his 0.96 ERA was sixth-best in the Majors after the All-Star break among relievers who made at least 15 appearances during that stretch. He only surrendered one home run during the post-All-Star break run of the year.
The 32-year-old has been a reliever for years at the Major League level, after initially working as a starting pitcher. However, the 2025 campaign was arguably Newcomb’s most successful season in the Majors. And, it came after Newcomb made some tweaks along the way.
For one, Newcomb has always possessed a starter’s arsenal — albeit one that’s changed over the years. The new White Sox was a heavy fastball/curveball pitcher when he first arrived in the Majors. While he experimented with a cutter, slider, and sinker over the years, Newcomb began to lean less on the four-seamer and more on his sinker.
Two, he lowered his arm slot, going from a higher, 3’4” arm-slot to more of a low-3/4” arm slot. His arm angle was lower by eight degrees on average, from 39 to 31, between the 2024 and 2025 campaigns.
You can see that more effectively in these two GIFs. The first one from 2025:
The second one from 2024:
His Whiff% rate on the four-seamer jumped, and he was able to effectively induce ground balls with the sinker. Newcomb has become more of a ground-ball pitcher after largely being the opposite for much of the 2020s.
Opposing left-handed hitters slashed .226/.308/.321 off him last season. Right-handed hitters fared better, with a cumulative slash line of .287/.347/.373.
The White Sox officially signed Sean Newcomb to a one-year deal worth $4.5MM. Chicago (AL) designated Ryan Rolison for assignment in a corresponding move.
Analysis
Chicago has been busy over the last few days. Not only did the White Sox add Munetaka Murakami for their 2026 lineup but they also added a good left-handed reliever who was able to get both lefties and righties out.
The White Sox already had two left-handed relievers who Will Venable leaned on last season: Brandon Eisert and Tyler Gilbert. Eisert saw a team-high 72 appearances last season, while Gilbert pitched in 46 games. Now, the Sox can add a third left-hander to that mix, one who was weapons geared to take on hitters from both sides of the plate.
Another element to this addition is not just his ability to induce groundballs but also limit the well-hit contact. Newcomb rated quite high in terms of opposing Barrel% (5.7%).
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