The Nationals announced today that they have designated lefty Tony Sipp for assignment. His roster spot was needed to complete the team’s addition of three new relievers at the trade deadline, each of whom has been activated for tonight’s game.
Sipp was surprisingly unable to find work this spring after turning in excellent results with solid peripherals in 2018. He ultimately landed with the Nats on a modest deal in mid-March. Sipp is owed $1MM this year with a $250K buyout on a 2020 mutual option.
You can mostly ignore his 4.71 ERA, since Sipp has been used in such short bursts (21 innings in 36 appearances). Regardless, things haven’t really gone as hoped for the 36-year-old, who has maintained a solid 12.7% swinging-strike rate but lost almost 1.5 mph on his average fastball from last season.
Sipp has allowed hard contact on 34.4% of the balls put in play against him, way up from last year’s excellent 22.3% mark. And Statcast thinks he has been fortunate to hold opposing hitters to a .284 wOBA, translating the contact measurements into a .340 xwOBA.
We’ll have to wait to see how this situation turns out. Sipp can’t be traded. But he could conceivably be claimed by a rival that’s in need of lefty relief depth. If he clears waivers and is outrighted, Sipp could elect free agency without risking his guaranteed salary, since he has well over five years of MLB service.
Friedman. Hello?
out with the average in with the average
Dodgers could do with average in the pen.
“Struggling LH RP available”
Theo Epstein has entered the chat
He’s not going to get picked up by anyone. Long Island Ducks? Spring Training invitation?
Sugarland Skeeters
Kansas City T-Bones
Southern Maryland Blue Crabs
Camden Riversharks
New Britain Bees
York Revolution
Bridgeport Bluefish
Somerset Patriots
Lancaster Barn Stormers
Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks?
Milwaukee milkmen
Bakersfield Train Robbers
Hartford Yard Goats
Joliet Slammers
High Point Rockers
Lebanon ‘Paris of the Middle East’ Frenchman
Lebanon ‘Paris of the Middle East’ Frenchmen
Welcome to Anaheim Tony. Hope your elbow holds up. -Billy
Twins could really use another lefty in the bullpen.
He could take Bashlor’s spot in the Mets’ pen.
He’s pretty much better than the whole Mets bullpen besides Chris Mazza who’s played in like, 2 games
Stros
The Nats have no control of his fate now. He could be claimed by anyone.
If he is they don’t have to pay him.
Cardinals should take a look
Could be time for the Padres to DFA Erlin and take a chance on Sipp, a veteran LHP out of the pen with a mutual option for 20’ when in all honesty that’s when he will have his most importance to the team ala Garret Richards.
Can’t just keep throwing 20 and 21 year olds out there every night to get hit around. If Stammen is traded in the offseason Pads can go into 20’ with Yates and Sipp as the veterans in the BP.
Yeah I like homegrown players to build the team but the bullpen is different. The Padres did well for decades with their rotating cast off veteran relievers
For sure. Days of guys like Dale Thayer and Joe Thatcher seem forever ago but those guys were beyond value-able to those bullpens when the gettin’ was good. Cheap veterans who just got the job done.
Stammen is a FA at the end of this season.
Red sox, take a chance. This bullpen is horrendous
Indians? He was with them once upon a time. Olson just went in the IL with shingles.
Can the Nats rescind sending him to DFA? Unbelievably, one of their brand new RP’s they just acquired (leading to he need to DFA Sipp, among others) just apparently pulled a hamstring after pitching to two batters… Arrrrgh!
There is always a job for a veteran lefty reliever. Don’t be shocked if Sipp’s next deltoid Fenway or Rivera Ave in the Bronx.
Minor league contract