6:21pm: Philadelphia also added righty Wil Crowe on a minor league contract and assigned him to Double-A Reading, as reflected on the MLB.com transaction log. A former Nationals draftee, Crowe owns a 5.30 ERA over parts of four MLB seasons. He spent last year in Korea with the Kia Tigers, putting up a 3.57 mark with 43 strikeouts across 40 1/3 innings.
6:02pm: The Phillies have signed right-hander Lucas Sims to a minor league deal, reports Matt Gelb of The Athletic. Gelb adds that Sims will initially report to the Phillies’ pitching lab in Florida. He’ll presumably head to Triple-A Lehigh Valley after that, though it’s unclear how long he’ll be in the lab.
Sims, 31, started the season with the Nationals. He had signed a one-year, $3MM deal with Washington, though it quickly turned sour. He made 18 appearances but logged only 12 1/3 innings, allowing 19 earned runs. He issued 14 walks, a massive 19.4% of batters faced, which doesn’t even tell the whole story. He also hit seven batters in that time and threw three wild pitches. The Nats released him earlier this month.
Presumably, that’s why the Phils will start Sims with a trip to the lab, to try to find out what’s wrong with him. If they can get him back on track, he could be a nice buy-low pickup. From 2019 to 2023, Sims did a lot of good work for the Reds. He tossed 183 1/3 innings over that time. His 12.2% walk rate was certainly high but he offset that somewhat by striking out 31.9% of batters faced.
He’s been in a tough stretch more recently. In 2024, he was largely his old self for a while, posting a 3.57 ERA through 43 appearances with the Reds. But he was traded to the Red Sox at the deadline and immediately floundered. He logged 14 innings for Boston around an IL stint for a lat strain, with a 6.43 ERA. He had a 14.8% strikeout rate and 16.4% walk rate for the Sox. That was a small sample size of work with an injury in the middle, but his struggles carried forward into 2025.
If the Phils can get him back to his 2019-2023 form, he’ll be a low-cost addition to their bullpen. Since the Nats released him, they are on the hook for the rest of his salary for this year. If the Phils call Sims up at any point, they would only have to pay him the prorated version of the league minimum salary for any time spent on the roster. That amount would be subtracted from what the Nats pay.
The Phils are a third-time payor of the competitive balance tax and are above the top tier, meaning they face a 110% tax rate on anything they add to the payroll. They also have concerns in their bullpen. Philly relievers have a collective 4.48 ERA, putting them in the bottom third of the league. One of their most effective relievers this year has been José Alvarado, but he just got hit with an 80-game PED suspension.
The club will surely be looking for various ways to bolster the bullpen in the coming months, including with trades as the July 31st deadline approaches. Not many teams are selling this early, so it makes sense to take a flier on a guy like Sims to see what happens.
Photo courtesy of James A. Pittman, Imagn Images
Braves legend!
Wil Crowe was the player the Nats traded to the Pirates for Josh Bell. Who was later packaged with a certain corner OF for the haul from the Padres that now accounts for much of DC’s young core.
@Rachel – Wow, what a brilliant idea! Why hasn’t anyone else thought of that? It should be the easiest possible trade to put together. I will make a call…
I can just imagine the Phanatic working in the pitching lab while wearing a white lab coat, taking notes on a clipboard. Smoke arising from the boiling beakers in the background. His brown bag lunch open and spread across his desk.
@raydh,
An amazing visual. You nailed it, sir!🎯
Not for nothing, they could dip into the Indy league right now if they want to add minor league pitching depth. Think there’s potentially a bullpen addition coming soon, that could cost them some upper minors depth from that Red Hot Iron Pigs squad. Jonathan Haab (25), RHP. Cam Robinson (25), RHP. Tommy Doyle (28), RHP – have been outstanding up there in the Atlantic League. Give me two of three to slide right into the spots vacated by Max Lazar & Jose Ruiz call ups. Then cut bait on some older prospects like McGarry, McFarlane, Mercado – while they still have a sliver of value as top 20 organizational prospects – and turn them into a Jake Bird or Reid Detmers.
@Mitchell – Just no. Hell no.
1..Borrow the Tardis from Dr. Who.
2. Go back in time and bring back prime Reggie Jackson or Rickey Henderson.
3. Add them to the deal.
4. Now you’re talking.
Bombs away!
At $3 miilion, his may already be the worst FA contract of the whole season.
Kyle Gibson would like a word.
It’s going to take at least 3 more top 30 prospects with Painter to get that deal even started
The Phillies would say no if the A’s offered Miller for Painter. Without a second thought.
The idea is dead on both sides.
That said, Mason Miller is not worth 4 top 30 prospects. Juan Soto didn’t even draw that. Nor Chris Sale or Mookie Betts.
The top RHP prospect left in the minors by himself would get Miller. I’m not sure what scale of closer value you are on.
@RSox – Mason Miller is pretty awesome for sure. That being said, the health history is a huge issue, and the value of a closer is a rather fragile thing.
There is no way that I trade a potentially generational starting pitcher talent that is on the cusp in Painter, who at the age of 19 was better than just about any minor league pitcher that I have ever seen in person. The kid has it all.
I totally get what you are saying. However, the Phillies are in a win now mode. If they think Miller is the missing piece to get them over the hump-flags, as they say, fly forever.
A potential number 1 for a closer? Mitchell you should self mute.