While the Cubs were blown away by the Rays and the rain tonight, they also pulled off a surprise trade.
Former pick/Braves pitcher Sean Newcomb joins the Cubs and Jesse Chavez returns to the Braves:
That #Boys Tonight, LHP acquired Sean Newcomb from the Braves for RHP Jesse Chavez and a cash payment. pic.twitter.com/z21AaEqbr1
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 21, 2022
Now, this is an unusual time to trade! There was a DFA involved so it had to be played out now, but you don’t typically see these mid-April deals involving multiple big league players.
Newcomb, 28, was drafted by the Braves this weekend so that would have been a start. And since the Cubs were probably looking for another left-hander in their bullpen anyway, they probably figured, hey what the heck, why aren’t we the team trying to recapture him and give that change of scene?
That part makes perfect sense to me. It’s very Cubs MO. As for why it’s Chavez returning to the Braves in exchange (with some cash to probably offset salaries), well he’s been hit HARD by the Cubs, and he’s had so much success with the Braves last year. Maybe he was happy to go back (I think recently signed free agents have to agree to a trade before June). Also, I’m not sure Chavez has been waiting long for this roster anyway, given the upcoming roster crunch (down from 28 to 26, plus the return of Wade Miley and Alec Mills).
We’ll be getting more into Newcomb soon, but the short version is he’s out of minor league options, so the Cubs will field him this week (unless they try to DFA him now and see him through disclaimers, but that’d be a bit of an odd twist). In his younger days, Newcomb looked like a potential future star with the Braves, but he’s gotten wilder and wilder over the past three years and has been hit harder and harder. Plus, the walks went crazy.
(via FanGraphs)
Still throwing very hard, he’s had some relief success as recently as 2021 (through the periphery at least) and I’m sure the bones are there for an impactful pitcher (he hasn’t been a full-time starter since 2018). , by the way). But it would be quite a turnaround if the Cubs could get something out of him. It’s certainly the year to try.
I kind of hope that the Cubs already scouted Newcomb, that they knew exactly what they would do to him if they managed to land him. More to come.