After being designated for assignment earlier in the week, Sean Newcomb was traded by the Atlanta Braves to the Cubs for a familiar face.
The Sean Newcomb era has officially come to an end with the Atlanta Braves as the lefty was traded to the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday for reliever Jesse Chavez.
Newcomb, a former top prospect who the Braves acquired in a big deal that sent Andrelton Simmons to the Angels, was designated for assignment earlier in the week by Atlanta.
Instead of losing him to free agency for nothing, the Braves were able to work out a deal with the Cubs for Chavez.
Braves News: Newcomb Traded to the Cubs
For Newcomb, I hope this is a chance for a fresh start. Over parts of six seasons in Atlanta he had a 4.25 ERA and 1.453 WHIP in 383.1 innings.
He was effective as a starter in 2018 and then had a good season out of the bullpen in 2019, but really hasn’t been able to earn back enough trust as either a starter or reliever since then.
The Cubs are a team not expected to win this year. Hopefully they can grant Newcomb’s wishes and give him another chance as a starter.
While I hate things didn’t work out in Atlanta, I do wish him all the best and hope he’s able to figure it out.
Braves Bring Back Jesse Chavez
Jesse Chavez is back for his third stint in Atlanta. And it’s crazy to think where his career has gone after posting a 5.89 ERA in 2010 with the Braves.
He came back last year and was great with a 2.14 ERA and 1.010 WHIP in 33.2 innings with 36 strikeouts, and even started some games as an opener.
Now he’s in his 15th season in the big leagues — a season that saw him start out with the Cubs where he gave up 4 earned runs on 7 hits and 2 walks over 5.2 innings with 3 strikeouts.
Maybe coming back to Atlanta will get him back in his groove. He’ll primarily be used in a garbage role similar to how Brian Snitker was using Newcomb — although you can argue Monday’s game wasn’t a time to use the garbage man…
This is a good move for both the Braves and Newcomb. He gets a fresh start on a team that’s not expected to win, while the Braves get a veteran for the bullpen who can help eat some of those middle innings in blowout games.