Nationals pick up an interesting option for their bullpen
The Nationals are reportedly closing in on an agreement to sign veteran reliever Lucas Sims. The 30 year old Sims spent last season with the Reds and Red Sox, posting a 4.38 ERA in 58 appearances. In 2023, Sims was excellent in Cincinnati, with a 3.10 ERA in 67 outings.
Lucas Sims is more interesting than your average depth bullpen arm. He has always had a nasty arsenal that models grade out very highly. This is due to his high spin breaking balls. His curveball and sweeper have average spin rates of over 3,000 RPM, some of the highest in baseball.
However, this has not translated to consistent results. This is mainly due to his lack of command. He has walked over 12% of batters in his career. However, if the Nats pitching coaches can iron some things out, he could have a breakout season. 30 is not that old for a reliever, and plenty of bullpen have career years in their 30’s.
He has also worked with Driveline this offseason, where he has seen an increase in velocity. Sims was hitting 98 in workouts, despite averaging just over 94 MPH last season. His strikeout stuff has proven to play in the big leagues, so if his stuff gets even nastier, he could explode.
We will keep you updated on this story as more details emerge.