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Three weeks after the 2023 MLB trade deadline, the San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics have completed a deal. The Giants traded pitcher Sean Newcomb to the Athletics in exchange for minor-league outfielder Trenton Brooks. Sean Newcomb was once the top pitching prospect in the Atlanta Braves farm system. The trade comes with the Giants in the playoff picture and the Athletics at the bottom of the 2023 MLB standings.
The Giants-Athletics trade was made possible after the deadline because the players involved are signed to minor-league contracts and haven't been part of a 40-man roster in the 2023 MLB season. Had Newcomb or Brooks spent time on the MLB injured list this season, they couldn't have been traded.
Newcomb signed a minor-league contract with the Giants in February and was invited to spring training. Since failing to make the big-league roster, Newcomb has spent most of the 2023 season with Triple-A Sacramento. The left-hander has a 3.16 ERA in 31.1 innings in the Pacific Coast League. Newcomb has 40 strikeouts, and all but two of his appearance have come out of the bullpen.
Newcomb made his MLB debut with the Braves in 2017, projected to be a member of Atlanta's rotation for years to come. He started a career-high 30 games in 2018, pitching to a respectable 3.90 ERA with 160 strikeouts in 164 innings. Newcomb had a 3.16 ERA in 2019 when he was largely used as a reliever.
After struggling for three years, Newcomb was traded by the Braves to the Chicago Cubs early in the 2022 season. The pitcher had a 9.13 ERA in 22.2 innings for Chicago.
Brooks is a career minor leaguer and has spent nearly a decade trying to get to the big leagues. In 94 games for the Athletics' Triple-A affiliate this season, Brooks is hitting .299/.405/.529 with 16 home runs.
