The Red Sox announced the acquisition of reliever Lucas Sims from the Reds. Pitching prospect Ovis Portes is going back to Cincinnati. Boston designated left-hander Brandon Walter for assignment to open a 40-man roster spot.
Sims spent parts of seven seasons in Cincinnati. A former first-round pick by the Braves, the Georgia native struggled in Atlanta before going to the Reds at the 2018 deadline in the Adam Duvall trade. Cincinnati quickly moved Sims to the bullpen, where he’s been a bit volatile but flashed high-leverage upside.
After a strong showing during the abbreviated 2020 schedule, Sims showed huge swing-and-miss potential in ’21. He lost most of the next season to injuries that culminated in season-ending back surgery. Sims rebounded to turn in 61 innings of 3.10 ERA ball a year ago. He carries a 3.57 mark through 35 1/3 frames this season.
Sims has fanned an above-average 26% of batters faced. His 11.3% swinging strike percentage is solid but down a few points from last year’s excellent 14.3% clip. The 30-year-old righty has been a bit homer-prone this year — strangely much more so on the road than at Cincinnati’s hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park — and has always had wobbly control. He’s walking 13% of batters faced this season after handing out free passes at a 15.1% clip a year ago.
That command leads to some inconsistency, but he’s posted generally strong results while working in the middle to late innings for skipper David Bell. Sims owns a 3.27 mark with a 27.2% strikeout rate against a 14.3% walk percentage in 110 appearances over the last two years. Opponents have hit .190/.325/.343 over that stretch. Sims has a bit of closing experience but won’t be needed in the ninth inning in Boston. He adds a right-handed setup option in front of Kenley Jansen while Chris Martin and Rule 5 pickup Justin Slaten are on the injured list.
Sims is playing on a $2.85MM salary in his final season of arbitration. He’ll hit free agency for the first time next winter. Boston is taking on roughly $935K for the stretch run. RosterResource calculates Boston’s CBT number around $222MM, giving chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and his group ample flexibility for more moves this afternoon while staying under the $237MM tax line.
Cincinnati is five games out in the Wild Card race. They’re seemingly positioned as soft deadline sellers and have moved impending free agents Frankie Montas and Sims in the past 24 hours (albeit for upper level talent in Montas’ case). The Reds have a strong relief group overall and could feel they’re not taking too much of a hit to their slim playoff chances by parting with Sims and giving a few more meaningful innings to someone like Tony Santillan.
The Reds grab a developmental low minors pitching prospect in the process. Portes, 19, is a 6’4″ righty who signed with the Sox out of Antigua and Barbuda in 2022. He has turned to be a nice find for Boston’s international scouting department. Baseball America ranked him as the #29 prospect in the Boston system, writing that he sits in the mid-90s and can run his fastball up to 99 MPH. He needs to continue developing his secondary stuff and control but there’s intriguing velocity and physical upside. Portes has reached Low-A this season, where he has a 3.43 ERA over 21 innings. He’s striking out more than a quarter of opponents but struggling to throw strikes.
Walter has been on the minor league injured list all season. Injured players cannot go on outright waivers, so the Sox are likely to release him this week. The 27-year-old southpaw made his big league debut last season and tossed 23 innings of 6.26 ERA ball over nine long relief outings.
Robert Murray of FanSided first reported the Red Sox were acquiring Sims. MassLive’s Chris Cotillo suggested Portes might be in the return, which Joel Sherman of the New York Post confirmed.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Whoa.
Good move to solidify the pen.
Interested to see the return.
That BB rate is scary, but he’s a veteran who isn’t going to fall apart at the first sign of trouble. Solid addition assuming they didn’t give up too much.
Looks like a lottery ticket, Ovis Porter (if that’s it). 19 year old in A ball, so high variance.
Just making incremental improvements to the team.
Hopefully there’s still a move for a SP in Breslow’s bag.
The major league team has gotten better because of his moves, even if it didn’t catapult them into world series favorites.
As a Reds fan, that BB rate is the most infuriating thing in the game
Buckle in for him to walk the first batter every time he comes into the game
Kid you got had a 6.43 BB/9 in Salem. Of course he is only 19, and might eventually figure things out. Portes (not Porter?) is a bit of a lottery ticket, but late-inning relief potential. Possibly more.
Dhud – I lived through a few years of Kimbrel so I’m used to it. Porter was an interesting Sox prospects, should be a good pickup.
Every time he comes in? Huh, you and I haven’t watched the same Reds games. Bo-Sox got a good set up guy.
I personally thought he was more accurate the more days he worked. Wish him well.
I’m not sure I trust this. He has an FIP close to 5.00. That’s pretty bad
Yeah, but a decent ERA and xERA. Suggests that he is getting weak contact. Don’t love it, don’t hate it, but we needed a fresh arm in the pen.
We have had fresh arms in and out the last two years and they haven’t helped us. Results help us and I’m wary to make gambles after 2 years of getting players and hoping they work.
Someone else did this legwork, so I cannot take credit, but:
“Sims had 5 walks per 9 innings pitched. Allowed a .408 slugging percentage and 9 of 22 inherited runners to score.”
Couple of days ago, in an important game for deciding the Reds direction for the rest of the season, Sims walked his first batter-which happened to be in the last inning with the bases loaded, and was the opponents winning run…
Who cares? He had an opponent BAVG of .190 in over 200 innings as a Reds reliever. My fellow Reds fans are infuriating, he’s going to be sorely missed….hopefully the Reds re-sign him this winter.
What do you mean who cares? I point to stats that show he’s not been as effective this season as it seems, you pull stats from over the course of six seasons
Should we care more about what he’s done the last 3 months or from 2019??
His numbers this year are inflated by 2 awful games he had back in April.
The last 3 months he has a 2.42 ERA
How much of a gamble is it though? You’re giving up a minor leaguer who has been good, but is still very much a lottery ticket. And in exchange you’re getting an experienced reliever that won’t financially cost much. I don’t want to see Boston deplete their farm again for relief pitching, like the Padres just did for Tanner Scott.
It looks like he’s been pretty solid the last couple months. Sims’ walk rate this year is a little ballooned from an outing in April where he walked 4 in 2/3 of an inning. Really tanks your stats when you’ve only pitched 35 innings. Seems like a solid piece, with only a lottery ticket given up.
I guess I don’t know the NL because my first reaction was “Who?”.
As a Reds fan, If Lucas Sims is the answer, I don’t want to know the question. Sims is awful.
The question? An 8.51 bullpen ERA since the ASB. Two of the four frontline arms on the DL (the #2 and #3 guys out of the pen), and bullpen management that has left half the guys in the pen torched.
Yesterday Wingenter came in to allow four runs in 1.1 innings of work, and all I felt was relief that they were able to give their decent arms a day of rest.
Not sure that’s a question, more of a gripe? Or a scream of agony?
he’s not awful, but I’m certainly not sad to see him go. He always makes your heart race when he comes in though.
Absolutely ridiculous take, his numbers in relief for the Reds have been phenomenal .650 OPS against….that’s awesome. .
Cool. He’s an experienced veteran, far better than using Horn or Anderson in key situations. Thanks for the trade!
Reds fan here. Sims is a solid middle inning guy whose stats are generally better than you think they are when you watch him blow leads lol.
Off-loaded Montas and Sims
Great trade deadline for the Reds
This deadline is really groundbreaking. Relievers with ERAs above 3.50 getting moved has me shaking with excitement!
Right
Twins – Well considering my team’s other acquisitions are a reliever with a 5.98 ERA, and a reliever with a career 6.46 ERA, I am actually quite happy they finally got a pitcher with an ERA under 6!!!!
Hopeful:
If your only assessment of relievers is based on “ERA” maybe its time to come into the 21st century. Im not saying his numbers are great, but there’s a lot more to the picture than just ERA.
Obviously, there are other factors you can account for. Mostly being facetious regarding the underwhelming nature of this year’s deadline. I’m practically yawning watching this coverage.
Has an FIP close to 5.00 too
He has an ERA+ of 120 as a reds reliever in 200+ innings.
Sims has 2.6 bWAR in a little over 1.5 years. That’s not bad for a middle reliever. keep in mind he pitches in a child’s sandbox.
FIP does not look good though. It’s an experiment. Wish we would just get proven relievers
Who is going to complain it is not some teams Ace or Closer?I find reading people’s posts very entertaining.Like i said in another post,Why doesn’t move Mayer and a few other guys from their rule 5 list for Tarik Skubal.Boston needs an Ace right?He is 27 so Boston could have him a while.It would be sort of like the Pedro Martinez trade.
TB – I agree with your idea, but Skubal is not that guy. He is not Chris Sale and he certainly is not Pedro who had pitched 912 innings of 3.00 ERA 1.105 WHIP and coming off a 1.90 ERA 241 IP 305K Cy Young season.
Skubal could be on the Sale/Pedro level soon, but he’s not yet despite being 2 years older than Pedro. Let’s first see if he can pitch at least 180 innings.
and a few other guys
=========================
And who would these ‘other guys’ be? I’d bet real money that the Tigers would ask for at least Teel or Anthony?
Yea my guess it would take Mayer and Anthony to pry Skubal away. That’s a lot for 2.5 years of Skubal but if you can sign him long term he’s your ace for the next 6 years. He’s arguably the best pitcher in baseball and he’s a competitor.
The Reds getting Ovis could put egg on their faces.
A lot of walks… but he will be good for the Sox!!!
What happens when Martin and Slaten went down last month and yet to return from the DL, the best 2 relievers on the club, Jansen included No Campbell at AAA (hurt also) Mata moved back to the 60 day dl (again) had to make a trade for some kind of arm, Thank goodness the horrid Chase Anderson curse is now gone.
Maybe another comes onboard, who knows. Think some kind of arm needs adding. Middle IF’s they have within, despite the posters saying otherwise.
The bullpen got a little stronger with this move and with Paxton in the rotation, for as long as he can stay healthy.
They Sox were never going to get someone like Rodgers, so these small incremental moves are good. Much better than previous deadlines, the major league team is better now than they were a few days ago.
I think a move for a SP is still needed.
Trey Wingenter hopefully will be DFAd.
Checked off the boxes. 1) This is a human being (2)They pitch (3) They are not knowingly injured
This rates as a solid “meh.”
Sims is good if they just bring him in to start an inning. Bring him in to shut them down with guys on base, and he walks the first batter, like he did Sunday.
That’s asking too much of Cora…
Much like Paxton and Jansen, this moves the needle a little bit, without getting too deep into the farm. We still need another SP, and that’ll cost us something, and maybe another Sims-level RP.
It’s Ovis Portes and he’s a 19 year old with a big arm. He has a short throwing motion but despite that manages to get the ball up there near triple digits. Has control issues but big arm recently was placed into the top 20 prospects in a very deep farm system. He’s a good get for the Reds.
Which rankings put him top 20? The lists I’ve seen have him lower down.
Not saying that a #20 ranking would be inappropriate, though, the kid has talent if he can ever figure out the command. Like most kids at that level.
Sox prospects has him at 29 which seems about right.
Sorry meant top 30 updated prospects in a very deep farm system. I have watched him three times now he has an unusual delivery still I noticed right away the velocity it’s big velo. I’m sure a lot of experts will look at his delivery and say reliever but his arm is real. His slider is pretty good as well. He has potential but raw.
Sims is just a rental, so a flyer like Portes is a good price to pay. I’d like to see the Sox pick up another reliever–Declan Cronin from Miami. The good news is Breslow is making some moves. They are allegedly “in on” Flaherty, which maybe means Taillon is still in play. Could still turn into an interesting afternoon.
OK decent move, an A-ball pitcher, YEARS away from the majors , if at all. NOW don’t stop here, right handed hitter and/or 2b !
Not a fan of Taillon, he breaks like glass……..Jack Flaherty would be NICE!!!
Yes! Let him blow leads for someone else.
We agree for once
Good move for both teams, of course the “Haters” just hate no matter the deal. Reds pick up a lottery ticket with talent, Sox pick up a solid reliever for the run. Rock solid moves by both GMs.
Good luck to all.
The revolving door of our bullpen for the last two years. Welcome!
Regarding new Cincinnati Reds acquisition:
“Ovis Portes has been one of the breakout pitching prospects in the Red Sox low minors this year. Between FCL/Salem: 34 IP, 2.12 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 41 K:19 BB. Projectable frame, FB 95-98 T99, SL & CH. Relief risk, but very intriguing arm.”
x.com/IanCundall/status/1818346248534909237
If our only deadline acquisitions are Lucas Sims and Danny Jansen, we are in trouble.
Lucas Sims has an FIP close to 5.00. That’s horrible.
No, I’m not defending Breslow on this one (since at least one member here thinks I’m only a Breslow yes man).
For the record – as a Reds reliever – opponents #’s against – .190/.310/.350 that’s with pitching half his games at the sandbox they call a stadium. Yes, he walks more batters than he should but he then goes on to K 30% of opposing batters.
Final jeopardy….. jokingly this pitcher is better than both of the Red Sox acquired pitchers this trade deadline …. A… …who is OLM TIANTE???????( we’ll accept you know who,on the DL though)
His walk rate does scare me a little bit, but hey for once I don’t hate this move! Without burning any legit prospect capital on a team that isn’t a serious WS contender, they at least were able to add a guy who helps give the ‘pen a fighting chance. I will take it.
Fair