Three days after the Nationals requested released waivers on Tony Sipp, the left-handed reliever has cleared and is now a free agent, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets. Washington will pay Sipp the remainder of his $1MM salary for this year and a $250K buyout for 2020.
The fact that the 36-year-old Sipp couldn’t stick in what has been a dicey Nationals bullpen looks damning. He logged a 4.71 ERA (albeit with a far more encouraging 3.55 FIP) and 7.71 K/9 against 3.86 BB/9 in 21 innings with the club this year after it signed him to a low-cost deal a couple weeks before the season.
Along with posting shoddy run prevention numbers, Sipp saw his velocity and strikeout rates tumble compared to where they were last year as an Astro. At the same time, though, Sipp limited same- and right-handed hitters to sub-.290 weighted on-base average marks as a Nat this season. Sipp’s also just a year removed from an exemplary showing in Houston, where he posted a 1.86 ERA/2.41 FIP with 9.78 K/9 and 3.03 BB/9 over 38 2/3 innings. Now, considering Sipp’s only in line to collect the league minimum on his next contract, some contender looking for an established late-game lefty may well take a flier on him in the coming weeks.
I’m not sure Mets would be in on this one after signing Brach, but I did think he was someone they should look at. It’s not likely they’ll go back to three lefties in the pen.
Cardinals.
Has to happen. Makes way too much sense. Having an opportunity to grab a lefty the quality of Sipp at this point in the season is a no brainer. They’re lucky a move like this potentially could save their butts for not going out and getting a lefty in July.
Twins
[insert team name needing a reliever]
Red Sox
Be nice if he came back on minor league deal to Houston
Please no.
Cubs are desperate for a second effective lefty reliever.
Agreed!
Phillies.
My thoughts on him have flip flopped so many times as a Astros fan. Solid reliever in the 2015 playoff run.
Then I wanted to pull my hair out every time he pitched in 2016, and during our World Series year.
Then out of nowhere be pitched great,that next year.
So who knows what you’ll get, but I think he’s worth a gamble for a thin bullpen, at least for the remainder of the regular season.
I do hope he signs somewhere, he’s quiet, but a good dude.