Yankees Tabbed to Acquire Red Sox Castoff as ‘Pitching Depth For Cheap’

The New York Yankees pitching staff that looked to be dominant once the team signed free agent lefty Max Fried to an eight-year, $218 million contract, doesn’t look so tough anymore.

Injuries have thinned out Yankees pitching to a disturbing degree. From 2023 Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole, who went under the knife for Tommy John surgery before spring training ended, to mid-rotation starter and former first-round draft pick Clarke Schmidt ending his season with Tommy John just last week, the Yankees staff — both starters and bullpen — is limping.

Even Fried was pulled from his final start before the All-Star break with a painful blister on the index finger of his pitching hand. When he will pitch next remains up in the air.

The Yankees need pitching depth and they need it fast. And Empire Sports Media founder Alexander Wilson proposed an idea Thursday that would address that need while requiring the Yankees to give up very little — and also getting a measure of revenge on their arch-rivals, the Boston Red Sox.

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Sean Newcomb, who started his career as a promising prospect drafted 15th overall in 2014 by the Los Angeles Angels, started this season with his hometown team, the Red Sox.

A native of Middleborough, Massachusetts, Newcomb signed a minor league deal with Boston in spring training, then pitched his way into the Red Sox rotation before a move to the bullpen.

But in late May, the Red Sox designated him for assignment even though he had produced a 3.95 ERA over five starts and seven bullpen outings.

The Red Sox then traded Newcomb to the Athletics, the team for whom he played the last two seasons, for cash. In a full-time long relief role, Newcomb appears to have hit his stride, with a 2.70 ERA in 15 outings, all out of the bullpen, for the team that now plays in West Sacramento, California.

“The versatility to go 2-3 innings at any time or even make a spot start creates a ton of value for a roster such as the Yankees’ where rotation spots are up for grabs and the bullpen is a mess,” Wilson wrote.

With the last-place Athletics at 41-57 apparently going nowhere, Wilson believes that they would make Newcomb available for a single mid-level prospect.

More MLB: Red Sox Rotation Injuries May Clear Spot For Former First-Round Draft Pick

“With improving velocity as a reliever, the Yankees could scoop up Sean Newcomb for cheap to improve their bullpen depth instantly,” he wrote. “The underlying metrics are strong, and while this wouldn’t be a reliever you’d consider elite, he would present an upgrade over what the Yankees have in their bullpen.”

Wilson believes a deal for Newcomb should come together quickly, with the Yankees offering seven-year minor leaguer Everson Pereira — who got into 27 games for the big league Yankees in 2023 — in return.

Though Pereira appears to be on track to become a career minor-leaguer, he is still only 24 years old and is ranked as the No. 12 prospect in the Yankees system. A change of scenery might do both Pereira and Newcomb some good.

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