Newcomb ‘pumped’ for new opportunity with Cubs originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
It’s easy to see why Sean Newcomb described his week as “kind of crazy.”
Monday, the then-Braves pitcher made a relief appearance in Los Angeles against the Dodgers.
That turned out to be his final outing with Atlanta. They designated him for assignment Tuesday and traded him to the Cubs a day later for veteran Jesse Chavez.
Friday, the lefty was standing at his locker in the Cubs clubhouse, meeting the media for the first time with his new team.
“I was pretty pumped,” said Newcomb of the Wednesday phone call from Cubs president Jed Hoyer after the trade. “I didn’t really expect there to be a trade, especially coming to a great organization like this.”
An organization that offers Newcomb a fresh start and chance to recapture his early-career success.
“There’s a lot of cases where guys switch up teams and have success,” Newcomb said. “I’ve definitely seen it happen and am looking forward to working with [the Cubs].”
Newcomb started his big-league career off strong. He made 30 starts in 2018 and finished with a 3.90 ERA. A year later, he posted a 3.16 ERA across 55 appearances, 51 of which were in relief.
He’s struggled in recent seasons while dealing with command issues. Newcomb holds a career walk rate of 4.8 per nine innings, including 7.5 last season.
Newcomb said he wasn’t pitching as much as he wanted to with the Braves, noting their bullpen was…