Chicago White Sox Add Key Lefty From A's Bullpen
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The Chicago White Sox keep on spending money this winter Just days after they surprisingly signed power hitting Japanese corner infielder Munetaka Murakami, the Sox are at it again.
On Tuesday morning, it was reported that the White Sox had reached a one-year $4.5 million contract with free agent left-hander Sean Newcomb. Newcomb was an integral piece of the A's bullpen in 2025, will now join recently signed Murakami in Chicago. Both Newcomb and Murakami were seen as potential fits for the A's in free agency.
More spending from the White Sox: They signed left-handed reliever Sean Newcomb to a one-year, $4.5 million deal, per the team. That's two deals in the last couple days after the signing of Munetaka Murakami. Newcomb was arguably the best left-handed reliever left on the market.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 23, 2025
The Hartford product started his 2025 campaign in Boston, as he broke Spring Training as the fifth man in the Red Sox starting rotation. After making just five starts with Boston, the team moved him to the bullpen, where he finished his Boston stint with a 3.95 ERA in 41 innings. The A's needed some depth and elected to trade for their old friend, who was with the club in both 2023 to 2024.
Newcomb would instantly join the A's bullpen and become one of the most productive bullpen arms in the league. The southpaw would earn plenty of late-inning opportunities towards the end of the season, and finished six games, collecting a pair of saves for the team.
The final line on the season for Newcomb in green and gold would be a 1.75 ERA in just over 51 innings. With his contract expiring, it was evident that many contenders would be looking into acquiring the talents of Newcomb. He told Athletics on SI towards the end of the year that he would love the chance to be in the rotation with his next team.
It was reported earlier in the offseason that teams were not only interested in Newcomb as a reliever but once again as a starting pitcher. Because of his tremendous season in the A's 'pen, some expected that he would stay in the role where he was most successful, however, that does not look to be the case, as there is a report that he will get a chance in the Sox rotation.
The Chicago White Sox were in need of starting pitching and decided bring Newcomb aboard to fill out a backend spot in the rotation. He had told Jason Burke late in the season that he was interested in starting, but that joining a contending team was also appealing to him, and he also wanted to be a little closer to home with another baby on the way. He just wasn't sure how that would all balance out in free agency.
What's next for the A's?
Because the A's have now missed out on Sean Newcomb, and currently have just two left-handed relief options on the 40-man roster following the DFA of Ken Waldichuk. The two in-house options would be Hogan Harris and Brady Basso. This means the club will now have to look for a new free agent arm, or look in the trade market to land another southpaw.
However, the A's still have bigger needs that need to be addressed before camp. Even though the team landed Jeff McNeil in trade on Monday, and signed right-hander Mark Leiter Jr. a couple of weeks ago, they are still in need of starting pitching. With limited options remaining in free agency, the team might look to land a starting pitcher via trade.
It seemed like just yesterday the A's looked like they were moving in the right direction by adding a strong player like McNeil. Now the A's have lost their best bullpen arm from a year ago, and will look to bounce back with a couple of transactions to bolster their pitching staff in the next few weeks.
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I grew up playing baseball, and also enjoyed watching and writing about my favorite team, the A’s. Being a diehard A’s fan from New Jersey is certainly not common, but I love the team and all of the current and former players so much. I currently attend school at Penn State Scranton where I get the opportunity to play college baseball.
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