Chris Getz didn’t take long to address one of the more obvious offseason needs. Within the same week as the Munetaka Murakami news, Chicago added a left-hander who can fill more than one role. Coming off a solid 2025, Newcomb gives Chicago another left-handed option with a path to meaningful leverage innings early in the season.
Sean Newcomb agreed to a one-year, $4.5 million contract, giving Will Venable another viable option for late-game matchups and multi-inning coverage. The left-handed relief market thinned quickly in the days leading into the signing, and the Sox moved before they were left choosing from fliers, at least in the reliable left-handed pitching market.
The Sox can use spring to see whether Newcomb’s workload from last season translates into longer outings, even if his primary job ends up being in relief. Chicago designated left-hander Ryan Rolison for assignment to clear space on the 40-man.
Contract Details for new White Sox Hurler
Newcomb’s deal guarantees $4.5 million for 2026. It is a straightforward one-year commitment that keeps the risk low while still paying for a pitcher who just logged a substantial workload across two roles.
The Chicago White Sox have agreed to terms with left-handed pitcher Sean Newcomb on a one-year, $4.5-million contract. To make room for Newcomb on the 40-man roster, the White Sox designated left-hander Ryan Rolison for assignment.
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) December 23, 2025
Because it’s a one-year contract, the “why” becomes the key part for the organization. This is the type of signing that can stabilize the present bullpen while also creating optionality at the trade deadline if Newcomb repeats anything close to his 2025 run.
Whether he opens in a set bullpen role or competes for a rotation/swingman work in camp, the organization is paying him like someone they plan to use.
Background
Newcomb’s name has never disappeared because the pedigree was real. The 32-year-old was a first-round pick and was a top 100 prospect in 2017. He arrived in the majors with Atlanta as a rotation piece before his career drifted toward a relief profile. White Sox bloggers have often joked about the club’s proclivity for top prospects from 2017.
The throughline for most of his professional arc has been command. The stuff has always been good enough to miss bats, but stretches of elevated walk rates repeatedly pulled him off track. Injuries and frequent role changes added to the instability.
By the time he cycled through multiple organizations, he looked like a pitcher fighting for a permanent role rather than one building toward it. He did it while maintaining a level of control that hadn’t consistently been there in prior years.
2025 Results
Newcomb split the season between Boston and the Athletics, finishing with 92⅓ innings across 48 appearances (five starts) and a 2.73 ERA. He added 91 strikeouts. He kept his walks from ballooning back into the range that had defined his down years.
Sean Newcomb as a reliever in ’25: 2-2, 2.19 ERA in 43 games, with 2 saves and 64 Ks in 70 IP
As a starter in ’25: 0-3, 4.43 ERA in just 5 starts, 27 Ks in 22.1 IP.
— Scott Merkin (@scottmerkin) December 23, 2025
He opened with Boston and won the #5 spot in the Red Sox rotation to start the year out of an outstanding spring training. He then shifted into relief as Boston got healthier. After being dealt to the Athletics for cash considerations, his performance took a step forward in a consistent relief role.
With the A’s, Newcomb posted a 1.75 ERA over 51⅓ innings while working mostly in traditional relief spots. The line is strong on its own, but it is the shape of it that stands out: he handled bulk and worked leverage at times.
The quality of contact he allowed stayed under control. He leaned into a 45.9% ground-ball rate in 2025. Over 28 innings after the All-Star break, Newcomb posted a 0.96 ERA, allowed just 19 hits to 103 batters faced, trimmed his walk rate to 5.8%, and backed it with a 0.89 WHIP and 2.42 FIP.
There was a late-season note worth monitoring as he finished the year with some elbow inflammation and diminished velocity in his final outing. The White Sox will be betting that a normal offseason and clean spring reset that concern.
Arsenal Changes and What the White Sox Are Buying
If you’re trying to sum up why Newcomb looked different, it starts with how he got outs. The previous versions of him would pile up stressful counts, which would elevate his pitch count. The 2025 version created more playable at-bats by leaning into shapes that produced weaker contact and fewer free passes.
One of the clearest indicators is the pitch that became his separator. Newcomb’s slurve (his breaking ball in the slider/curve family) showed up as a real weapon last season.
The offering carried the lefty into high-leverage usage, especially when he could land it for strikes early and expand on it late in counts. He’s never been a high-whiff arm, but Newcomb made that work by limiting barrels and living at the bottom of the zone, leaning on ground balls rather than chasing strikeouts.
There’s also a usage theme that tracks with what the White Sox have targeted lately. It’s multiple fastball looks and a willingness to move the ball to different parts of the zone instead of trying to live off one straight four-seamer. Newcomb leaned more into sinker usage at the end of the year.
The improvements show up in the pitch data, as Newcomb’s 4.75 QOPA in 2025 (top 16% MLB, Quality of Pitch Average) was backed by top-30% marks across his primary offerings. The Athletics also appeared to simplify his approach, dialing back cutter usage in favor of the sinker.
When you pair that with his 2025 data, a 3.66 SIERA (top 25, min. 90 IP, Skill-Interactive ERA) and 3.04 FIP (top 15, min. 90 IP), it becomes easier to see why teams viewed him as one of the better left-handed relief options still available on the free agent market.
Starter vs. Reliever: What Role Makes Sense for White Sox?
The Sox don’t have to lock Newcomb into one role, and that’s the value. He made spot starts and handled a starter-level workload last season, which keeps swingman usage on the table. And with back-end starters getting pricey on one-year deals, a lefty who can cover 4-6 innings when needed allows Chicago to avoid paying the full “fifth starter” premium, an efficiency point recently broken down by Beefloaf. That gives Venable and the staff options going into the spring.
With the White Sox, lefty pitcher Sean Newcomb will at least get the chance to start, league sources said. Newcomb, who signed a one-year, $4.5 million deal, performed well out of the bullpen last season but holds a long history of starting, too.
— Will Sammon (@WillSammon) December 23, 2025
Primary Bullpen Lefty for White Sox?
If Newcomb’s 2025 relief form holds, this is the most natural fit. The Sox needed another left-handed arm they can trust when the lineup turns over, and Newcomb’s mix gives him a chance to handle both sides of the plate.
If the slurve continues to miss bats and the sinker keeps contact on the ground, he profiles as a reliable leverage option rather than a matchup-only piece. Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith could be future southpaws in a Chicago rotation but Kay and Newcomb could be options to hold down the fort until that happens.
Birmingham Barons
If the rotation mix gets crowded or injuries hit early, Newcomb’s workload history makes him a reasonable candidate to cover starts in short bursts. The White Sox can afford to experiment with that in March without locking themselves into it long-term.
That doesn’t mean Newcomb profiles as a pure bat-misser at the back of the bullpen, but among the remaining left-handed options, his ability to suppress barrels and cover innings separated him from the rest of the market.
Fit With the White Sox
Newcomb checks multiple boxes as a left-hander who can handle innings with a plus breaking ball on a movable contract. Newcomb joins Anthony Kay and Chris Murphy as left-handed additions this offseason, with Brandon Eisert, Tyler Gilbert, and Bryan Hudson rounding out the healthy left-handed options on the 40-man roster.
It also lines up with the messaging that tends to surface for clubs trying to tighten up one- and two-run games. Even if the Sox aren’t building a contender overnight, the bullpen is one place where performance can swing results quickly, and a reliable left-hander who can take real volume reduces the nightly strain on the rest of the staff.
This doesn’t have to be the last pitching move of the winter. Chicago can still add depth with low-cost non-roster invites. It should be more along the lines of a buy-low swingman or another arm via trade. Newcomb just gives them a usable left-handed layer while the rest of the board takes shape.
If Newcomb opens the year throwing well, he becomes one of the more obvious mid-season trade candidates. He’s an affordable veteran arm with role versatility and enough track record to fit a contender’s bullpen planning.
Outlook
Relievers come with volatility by nature, and Newcomb’s career history makes that point easy to understand. He’s had stretches where the walks took over, and the results collapsed. He’s also moved through multiple organizations without finding a stable home.
The ceiling here isn’t ace-level impact, but recent examples show the value of pitchers who can quietly stack innings and positive WAR without needing a defined role.
CWS add much needed bullpen help in LHP Sean Newcomb for 1 year/4.5 Mil. He had a breakout year last year tossing 92.1 IP to the tune of a 2.73 ERA. The deep 6 pitch arsenal helped keep batters off balance to the tune of a 6% Barrel% and 48% GB%. Great value for the White Sox pic.twitter.com/Y36ipW2797
— Jackson Scudder (@jscud23) December 23, 2025
But this signing isn’t paying for his entire résumé. It’s paying for the version he was in 2025, a left-hander who handled a heavy workload and reduced the self-inflicted damage.
If that version holds, the White Sox have improved the bullpen this winter and created a possible summer asset. If it doesn’t, a one-year commitment keeps the downside contained while still allowing the team to cycle through options and keep the door open for prospects behind him.
Newcomb provides the White Sox with a dependable left-handed option built to manage contact and absorb innings over a long season. It’s a move that can pay dividends no matter how the season unfolds.
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