White Sox and Cubs add pitchers

Sean Newcomb (YouTube)

The two Chicago teams in Major League Baseball signed pitchers to contracts on Tuesday. The Chicago White Sox have signed relief pitcher Sean Newcomb of Brockton, Massachusetts to a one-year contract worth $4.5 million, and the Chicago Cubs have signed relief pitcher Jacob Webb of Riverside, California to a one-year contract worth $1.5 million.

Newcomb is joining his fifth Major League Baseball franchise. He was previously with the Atlanta Braves for six seasons (2017 to 2022), the Chicago Cubs for one season (2022), the Athletics for three seasons in two different stints (2023 to 2025) and one season with the Boston Red Sox (2025).

In 2025, Newcomb combined his time with the Red Sox and Athletics. In 48 games, he had a record of two wins and five losses with an earned run average of 2.73. In 92 1/3 innings pitched, Newcomb had four holds, two saves, and 91 strikeouts, and gave up 94 hits, 28 earned runs, five home runs and 31 walks, to go along with a WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) of 1.35. Newcomb’s two wins were with the Athletics and came in June. He beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-1 on June 8, and the Tampa Bay Rays 6-4 on June 30. Newcomb’s first save came in a 7-2 Athletics win over the Los Angeles Angels on August 16, and his second save came in a 3-0 Athletics win over the Cincinnati Reds on September 12.

Like Newcomb, Webb is joining his fifth MLB franchise. He was previously with the Braves (2019 to 2021), shared his time with the Angels and Orioles (2023), another season with the Orioles (2024), and one season with the Texas Rangers (2025).

In 2025, Webb pitched in 55 games and had a record of five wins and four losses with an earned run average of 3.00, seven holds, and one save. In 66 innings pitched, Webb gave up 49 hits, 22 earned runs, 10 home runs, and 19 walks, to go along with a WHIP of 1.03. Webb’s save came on May 12 in a 2-1 Rangers win over the Colorado Rockies.