Newman, 32, was a steady shortstop for the Pirates early in his career. He has played on several teams over the past four seasons and has developed into a lightweight utility player. Newman hit .278 in 111 games with the Diamondbacks in 2024. That earned him a major league contract with the Angels last offseason, but he only compiled a .202/.209/.272, which equates to more than 116 trips to the plate. The Halos designated him for assignment when they took a flier on the former top prospect Oswald Peraza at the trade deadline.
The right-handed Newman finished the season in Triple-A with the Tigers. He hit .296 with a .377 on-base percentage over 15 games, but didn’t get an MLB look with Detroit. Newman puts the ball in play, but rarely with any authority. He doesn’t run much and ranks as a slightly below-average defender in the infield. He will try to earn a bench spot in Spring Training behind him Jonathan India, Bobby Witt Jr. and the newly expanded Michael Garcia.
Cuas returns to Kansas City, where he reached the Majors for the first time in 2022. The right back posted a 3.58 ERA over 37 2/3 innings as a rookie. An early-season spike in strikeouts the following year caught the Cubs’ attention. The Royals dealt him to Chicago in exchange for a young outfielder Nelson Velázquez. It didn’t work for either team as both players struggled in their new surroundings. The Cubs waived Cuas less than a year after the trade and he spent the 2025 season in the minors. He split his time between the Phillies’ top affiliate and Atlanta’s Double-A club, posting a combined ERA of 5.20 over 27 2/3 innings.
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