What we said was close earlier this week is now official. The Washington Nationals signed relief pitcher Lucas Sims to a one-year, $3 million contract to serve as one of their anchors of the bullpen.
Although this is a nice addition, the unit is still a bit light on quality arms. It would probably be in the team's best interest to sign a couple more relief pitchers with some decent major league track records. One of those options should have closing experience, as well.
To be clear, Sims himself will likely factor into the mix as a late-inning reliever. Among the elder statesmen of the current bullpen, Sims has 12 career saves. He sometimes struggles with command, but his stuff is undeniable.
Lucas Sims (signed by WSH) is a stuff monster that struggled last year due to shaky command
— Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) February 17, 2025
His sweeper is one of the nastiest pitchers in MLB and recent reports on his offseason training indicate that his revamped cutter could turn some heads this season pic.twitter.com/oKOFIIDwta
Although it's not the best way to evaluate reliever success, Sims had an ERA of 4.38 last year, but 3.10 in 2023. He's always had a relatively high strikeout rate and low batting average against, and last season was no exception.
On paper, Sims appears to rank alongside Jorge Lopez and Derek Law as the most experienced players in back-of-the-bullpen roles. Left-hander Jose A. Ferrer seems likely to squeeze himself into a similar role, although he only has one save so far in his major league career.
Aside from this core group of four, not much is set in stone. Likely bullpen frontrunners include Rule 5 draftee Evan Reifert, overseas signee Shinnosuke Ogasawara, whomever between DJ Herz and Mitchell Parker doesn't crack the Opening Day rotation, minor league signee Christian Poche, and unproven youngsters like Eduardo Salazar, Orlando Ribalta, Zack Brzykcy and Cole Henry.
Speaking of ascending pitchers who are growing into potential closers, Mason Thompson used to be viewed in this way. As recently as 2022, Thompson recorded a 2.92 ERA and had earned himself a typical seventh or eighth inning role.
He's battled injuries ever since, most recently resulting in Tommy John surgery last spring. Since he still isn't cleared to take the mound, Thompson was transferred to the 60-day injured list as the corresponding roster transaction to make room for Sims. In all likelihood, we won't see Thompson on a big league mound until after the All-Star break.
With that in mind, the Nationals still lack high-upside relievers with extensive late-inning experience, or proven depth of any kind. They could really use an addition in this capacity. That's what makes the lingering free agency status of former closer Kyle Finnegan so interesting.
Nationals Have Stayed In Contact With Kyle Finnegan https://t.co/jMC8OqY1Z4 pic.twitter.com/uSt5rPbdeg
— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) February 15, 2025
We all know the abilities and limitations of Finnegan. He's not the most dominant closer and isn't immune to blowup outings from time to time, but he's been a relatively steady ninth inning man. He earned 38 saves last season and was named an All-Star.
When Finnegan was non-tendered after being projected to earn between $8.5 and $9 million through arbitration, it was assumed that Finnegan would not be returning to Washington. It's still unclear how serious discussions have been between the team and Finnegan, but he would be welcomed back with open arms.
Even if Finnegan isn't signed as Washington's closer, the Nationals could certainly benefit from adding someone to fill this void. Then again, few options with similar resumes to Finnegan are available on the open market. Other names to know in this capacity are David Robertson, Andrew Chafin and Phil Maton.
What do you think of the Lucas Sims signing, and might a bigger move be coming soon? Let me know your thoughts @stephen_newman1 on X.