3 Cubs players who won’t be on the roster by September 1

3. Cubs might want to just end the Sean Newcomb experiment

Chicago mercifully put an end to the Andrelton Simmons era and will do the same with Jason Heyward. The Sean Newcomb tenure is far less high-profile but it hasn’t gone well. Acquired after the Atlanta Braves designated him for assignment earlier this year, the Cubs have gotten very little out of this once-promising left-handed pitcher.

In his first 11 innings with the Cubs, Newcomb has an ERA of 8.18. At 29 and now out of minor league options, the Cubs would have to designate him for assignment in order to remove him from the roster. He is the only active relief pitcher right now on the roster without minor league options. So, to move on from him, they’d be doing more than demoting him.

Newcomb is a project. And already at 29, one has to ask if Chicago should even work on it. He has moved to the bullpen already for them. Although being a left-handed pitcher is intriguing, it’s abundantly clear he is a replaceable player. Why waste the roster spot on a guy his former team gave up on?

Most likely, Newcomb becomes a non-tender candidate this winter. However, with the team already being willing to pay Simmons and Heyward to go away, we shouldn’t be stunned to see the same happen with Newcomb. He’s still making less than a million dollars per year. The fact that the Cubs wouldn’t have the option to demote him at any point handcuffs them a little too much.

The signs of a turnaround just haven’t been there since he joined the club earlier this season.