{"id":17930,"date":"2019-03-13T11:35:43","date_gmt":"2019-03-13T15:35:43","guid":{"rendered":"lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/\/?p=17930"},"modified":"2019-03-13T11:35:43","modified_gmt":"2019-03-13T15:35:43","slug":"report-tony-sipp-washington-nationals-agree-to-one-year-deal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2019\/03\/13\/report-tony-sipp-washington-nationals-agree-to-one-year-deal\/","title":{"rendered":"Report: Tony Sipp, Washington Nationals Agree to One Year Deal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jon Heyman of MLB Network has reported<\/a> that the Washington Nationals have agreed to a contract with veteran reliever Tony Sipp<\/a>. ESPN\u2019s Buster Onley also added<\/a>\u00a0that the deal is for one season at $1 million. It also includes a $2.5 million mutual option or $250,000 buyout in 2020.<\/p>\n

The contract is a very team friendly deal. Despite coming off a three-year, $18 million deal and posting a career-best 1.86 ERA in 2018, Sipp had to settle for a considerable salary decrease.\u00a0The 10-year MLB veteran who will help solidify the Nationals bullpen.<\/p>\n

The Numbers<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Sipp most recently spent time with the Houston Astros (2014-2018). He also has stints with the Arizona Diamondbacks (2014) and Cleveland Indians (2009-2012). The longtime relief pitcher expects to lay a valuable role in Washington despite a reputation of inconsistent play.<\/p>\n

Sipp\u2019s Earned Run Average (ERA) has varied drastically by season. He has two excellent seasons in which he posted a sub-2.00 ERA and an additional season with an ERA under 3.00. The left hander also has five seasons with an ERA over 4.00. One of those seasons (in 2017), included a career-worst 5.79 ERA.<\/p>\n

Despite the drastic highs and lows, the 35-year-old has managed to produce a solid major league career. He has a lifetime ERA of 3.67 and ha appeared in 580 major league games. He has also been a very effective specialist against left-handed hitters, holding southpaws to a .191 batting average and .577 OPS<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Impact<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Sipp will join a National\u2019s bullpen that ranked 26th<\/sup> in bullpen Wins Above Replacement (WAR)<\/a> in 2018.\u00a0He will join fellow relievers Sean Doolittle<\/a> and Trevor Rosenthal<\/a> as they attempt to lead the new-look Nationals through a tough National League East.<\/p>\n

Sipp\u2019s services will be important in a division that boasts left-handed stars such as Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Bryce Harper<\/a>, New York Mets second baseman Robinson Cano<\/a>, and Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Main Photo:<\/p>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>