Source: Nats adding veteran lefty Sipp to bullpen

Source: Nats adding veteran lefty Sipp to bullpen
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The Nationals are bringing in an experienced left-handed reliever after all. The Nats have agreed to terms with veteran Tony Sipp on a one-year contract with an option for 2020, a source familiar with the deal confirmed. Sipp, 35, will need to pass a physical before the contract is official, but he's expected to report to spring training within the next few days. Sipp fills an obvious need for the Nationals, though one club officials had been downplaying in significance...

Solís caught "completely off-guard" by abrupt release

Solís caught "completely off-guard" by abrupt release
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Sammy Solís' long and often erratic tenure with the Nationals came to an abrupt conclusion this afternoon when the organization that drafted the left-hander nine years ago gave him his unconditional release. Manager Davey Martinez explained the timing of the move as a reflection of the depth of other bullpen arms currently in camp, but there also was financial incentive behind the transaction. By releasing Solís today, the Nationals are responsible only for...

Starting lineups: Nats vs. Marlins in West Palm Beach (Solís released)

Starting lineups: Nats vs. Marlins in West Palm Beach (Solís released)
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Hello again from FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. I'm back here for the remainder of the spring. Many thanks to Pete Kerzel for filling in during my mid-camp break. Just arrived at the ballpark and there's already significant news to report: Sammy Solís has been unconditionally released. While this may seem to come out of the blue for many, this really wasn't a complete shock. From the moment the Nationals chose to tender the left-hander a contract over the...

Beyond Doolittle, Nats bullpen is full of question marks

Beyond Doolittle, Nats bullpen is full of question marks
As spring training fast approaches, it's time to break down the state of the Nationals roster, position by position. The series continues today with the bullpen ... A position of instability and turbulence for years, the Nationals bullpen entered the 2018 season as a legitimately perceived strength. The three-headed "Law Firm" of late-inning relievers general manager Mike Rizzo acquired during the summer of 2017 all returned, and the rest of the group featured a balanced combination of...

Nats not focused on left-handed relief market - for now

Nats not focused on left-handed relief market - for now
LAS VEGAS - His roster may be crying out for a dependable left-handed matchup reliever, but Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo doesn't consider adding one among the most pressing tasks he has to accomplish at the Winter Meetings. Aside from closer Sean Doolittle, the Nationals bullpen tilts decidedly toward the right side. The other two left-handed holdovers - Matt Grace and Sammy Solís - had mixed results last season. Grace had his best season as a major leaguer, posting a 2.87 ERA and...

Nats agree to terms with Solís, tender contracts to six others

Nats agree to terms with Solís, tender contracts to six others
The Nationals aren't ready to part ways with Sammy Solís just yet. Faced with an 8 p.m. EST deadline to tender a contract to the injury plagued and erratic reliever, the Nationals elected not only to bring Solís back in 2019 and give him another chance to right his ship following an especially frustrating season but to sign him right now. The two sides agreed to a one-year, $850,000 deal, according to a source familiar with the terms. The Nationals tendered contracts to all six of their...

It's tender (or non-tender) decision day for the Nationals

It's tender (or non-tender) decision day for the Nationals
It's the final day of November, which means it's another deadline day in baseball's offseason, this one for tendering contracts. By 8 p.m. EST, all clubs must inform players who are eligible for arbitration (those with more than three and fewer than six years of big league service time, plus the top 22 percent of those with two years-plus service time) whether they will be offered a 2019 contract. Teams and players don't have to agree to any particular salary figures yet; there's still...

Looking at Nationals' non-tender candidates

Looking at Nationals' non-tender candidates
Having passed Tuesday's deadline for adding players to the 40-man roster to protect them from being exposed to the Rule 5 draft at the Winter Meetings in Las Vegas next month, it's now time to take a look a possible non-tender candidates. For the uninitiated, major league clubs can choose to not offer a contract to an arbitration-eligible player - non-tender him - if they would rather risk losing the player to another club than paying him what he might earn through the arbitration process....

After season of struggles, Solís' future with Nats is tenuous

After season of struggles, Solís' future with Nats is tenuous
As our offseason coverage kicks into high gear, we're going to review each significant player on the Nationals roster. We continue today with Sammy Solís, who could not take advantage of his many opportunities out of the bullpen. PLAYER REVIEW: SAMMY SOLÍS Age on opening day 2019: 30 How acquired: Second-round pick, 2010 draft MLB service time: 3 years, 52 days 2018 salary: $560,300 Contract status: Arbitration-eligible in 2019, free agent in 2022 2018 stats: 1-2, 6.41 ERA, 56 G, 0 SV,...

Solís' struggles vs. lefties reach staggering proportions

Solís' struggles vs. lefties reach staggering proportions
DENVER - With his team trailing by two runs in the bottom of the sixth and a left-handed batter leading off for the Rockies, Davey Martinez made the move most managers would make to try to keep the game close. He brought in a lefty from his bullpen to face that one batter: David Dahl, who has received only 64 plate appearances against southpaws this season and batted a mere .210 with a .557 OPS. What happened next could not have come as much surprise to anyone who has observed the Nationals all...

Nats lose to playoff-bound Rockies, but clinch second place

Nats lose to playoff-bound Rockies, but clinch second place
DENVER - The Nationals emerged from the dugout at Coors Field this evening, the temperature already down to 51 degrees on its way to 42 degrees by the time the game ended. A sellout crowd of 48,089 packed into the ballpark for the opener of what could be a momentous weekend here to wrap up the regular season. Alas, the visitors who had to break out their red jackets and hoodies for the first time in a long time weren't the ones playing for something meaningful. Aside from clinching second...

Lacking in trusted options, Nats 'pen taking a pounding

Lacking in trusted options, Nats 'pen taking a pounding
The Nationals had 12 pitchers sitting in their bullpen Tuesday night, but that doesn't mean Davey Martinez had an abundance of appealing options when he needed to call down there for an arm. Of those 12 relievers, only two were on the club's opening day roster: Matt Grace and Sammy Solís. Only four of them have pitched in 30 or more games for the Nats this season: Grace and Solis, Justin Miller and Wander Suero. Tim Collins has made 27 appearances over two stints in Washington. Greg...

Solís got ahead of Molina, but was unable to finish him off

Solís got ahead of Molina, but was unable to finish him off
Left-hander Sammy Solís came into this season as healthy as he has felt in some time. But April was not that good a month, as he struggled to a 0-1 record and a 5.59 ERA. May was much better, as he worked well in 15 games to a 1-0 record and a 2.61 ERA. But June (6.14 ERA) was rough, and then July (8.10 ERA) and August (0-1, 9.00 ERA) got worse. Due to his erratic outings and an inability to get that clutch out, Solis went up and down to Triple-A Syracuse twice this season: June 30 to July...

Mistakes aplenty in Nats' 11-8 loss to Cards (updated)

Mistakes aplenty in Nats' 11-8 loss to Cards (updated)
In this summer of extremes for the Nationals, tonight's 11-8 loss to the Cardinals somehow felt appropriate. The Nats pitching staff posted zeros in six different innings during this game, often in impressive fashion. The lineup posted a four-spot in the bottom of the fifth with an impressive rally, then scored three times in the bottom of the ninth and brought the tying run to the plate. Unfortunately, the top of the second, sixth and ninth also counted in this contest, so the 11 combined...

Nats send Madson to Dodgers for minor league pitcher

Nats send Madson to Dodgers for minor league pitcher
The Nationals made the latest in a string of late-summer moves to deal away soon-to-be-free-agents this afternoon, sending reliever Ryan Madson to the Dodgers for minor league right-hander Andrew Istler just hours before Major League Baseball's pseudo-deadline to trade players who have been placed on revocable waivers. Madson heads to Los Angeles after an up-and-down season in Washington, one in which he was counted on to serve as the club's primary setup man but struggled to stay healthy and...

Madson goes on DL, Solís sent to Triple-A (Nats down 6-4)

Madson goes on DL, Solís sent to Triple-A (Nats down 6-4)
ST. LOUIS - On the heels of back-to-back bullpen implosions caused both by injury and poor performance, the Nationals brought in two new relievers - Tim Collins and Trevor Gott - for tonight's game against the Cardinals and removed Ryan Madson and Sammy Solís from the active roster. Madson, who turned a 3-0 lead into a 4-3 loss via David Bote's walk-off grand slam Sunday night in Chicago, was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a back injury (the official diagnosis was lumbar nerve...

Game 120 lineups: Nats at Cardinals (updated)

Game 120 lineups: Nats at Cardinals (updated)
ST. LOUIS - And we're back for another evening of exciting Nationals baseball at Busch Stadium. What does tonight have in store for the D.C. nine? It's tough to imagine anything more dramatic (or devastating) than what this team has experienced in the last 48 hours. But at this point, nothing should surprise you. We don't yet know the state of the Nats bullpen for tonight's game, but reinforcements have arrived. Ryan Madson and Sammy Solís are not listed on the lineup card for tonight's...

There's no quick fix to Nationals' bullpen woes

There's no quick fix to Nationals' bullpen woes
ST. LOUIS - Every manager has to enter every game with a plan in mind for bullpen usage. He considers that night's starting pitcher. He takes into account who pitched the previous night, who warmed up and who's available tonight. He sets contingencies for an abrupt exit by the starter and/or extra innings in which someone is needed to provide length. He might even consider who's scheduled to start the next night, in case a reliever needs to be held back for that possibility. Davey Martinez...

Nationals find new way to lose late, fall to Cards 7-6 (updated)

Nationals find new way to lose late, fall to Cards 7-6 (updated)
ST. LOUIS - The 2018 Nationals don't lose baseball games. They lose Greek tragedies. There's no such thing as a simple ballgame for this team right now. The wins, few and far between as they seem, are still excruciating affairs. The losses? Well, they fall into a category all their own, suitable only to be written about by men named Thespis or Euripides. And so even when there were glimmers of hope tonight at Busch Stadium, in the form of seventh- and ninth-inning rallies by the visiting...

Nats let another close one slip away, fall 3-2 to Cubs (updated)

Nats let another close one slip away, fall 3-2 to Cubs (updated)
CHICAGO - The stakes perhaps felt a little higher, given the opposition, the location and all the familiar faces that have worn both clubs' uniforms in the last two seasons. But today's series opener at Wrigley Field felt remarkably familiar for a Nationals team that has found itself in situations just like this all summer long and consistently has shown itself unable to emerge victorious. Early offense, but a bunch of squandered opportunities to tack on needed runs later? Check. Dominance...