Nats add veteran righty Sims to bullpen short on experience

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Nationals have added a much-needed experienced arm to their bullpen, albeit one trying to bounce back from a rough year.

Veteran Lucas Sims formally signed a one-year deal with the Nats this morning, the 30-year-old right-hander getting a major league contract and thus a near-guaranteed spot on the Opening Day staff.

Needing to clear space on the 40-man roster, the club placed Mason Thompson (who had Tommy John surgery last spring) on the 60-day injured list.

Sims, who was in uniform and ready to participate in today’s workout, is behind his new teammates by a week but believes his late signing won’t impact his ability to be ready for the regular season.

“I was patient. I had a good situation in the offseason out in Arizona. I was content,” he said. “I was able to get my work in. I knew whenever a deal came together that I was going to be ready to go. I’m glad it worked out.”

A first-round pick of the Braves in 2012, Sims has pitched in 245 major league games, all but 35 of those for the Reds, with whom he enjoyed modest success. Across parts of eight total seasons, he has a 4.50 ERA and 1.291 WHIP. Most notably, he has struck out 10.4 batters per nine innings throughout his career.

Sims doesn’t give up much contact; opponents average only 6.9 hits per nine innings against him. His biggest recurring issue has been an inability to throw strikes, as evidenced by a hefty walk rate of 4.7 per nine innings.

His best season came in 2023, when he went 7-3 with a 3.10 ERA and 1.180 WHIP in 67 games with a Cincinnati bullpen that also featured current National Derek Law. He was enjoying another solid season last summer (3.57 ERA, 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings) before the Reds traded him to the Red Sox, where things imploded. In 15 games with Boston, he gave up 10 runs, walking 10 batters while striking out only nine.

The Nationals are hoping Sims can recapture his earlier form, banking on his primary pitch: a sweeper that he throws more than 40 percent of the time, holding opponents to a .174 batting average. He also added a cutter last season, which opponents batted only .167 against.

“Just try to throw as many strikes as you can. Just fill up the zone,” he said of his mindset heading into the new year. “Basically have the attitude of: They’re either going to hit it or not. The big thing coming out of the bullpen is availability. You can pitch a lot more when you’re throwing efficient innings. … I would say that was a point of emphasis, having a mentality of: Let’s just fill up the zone and see what happens.”

Sims has minimal closing experience (12 career saves), so he doesn’t fill the Nats’ need for a proven ninth-inning arm. But he could join Law and offseason addition Jorge López in providing several right-handed setup options for manager Davey Martinez.

It remains to be seen if the Nationals will sign a closer before breaking camp. David Robertson, 40, remains a free agent, as does 2024 All-Star Kyle Finnegan, who the team non-tendered this winter because it wasn’t prepared to pay him the $8 million to $9 million he was likely to command via arbitration.

Asked earlier this week if López (who saved 23 games in 2022 for the Orioles and Twins) would be their closer right now, Martinez affirmed that option while also repeating his previous support for 24-year-old lefty Jose A. Ferrer.

“As I said earlier, Ferrer will get an opportunity to close as well,” Martinez said. “Right now, we’re going to play matchups. But if López is available, he can do it.”