Few feelings in sports can compare to watching a rival team commit an embarrassing offense. That's exactly what Atlanta Braves fans experienced over the weekend when Philadelphia Phillies closer Jose Alvarado — the club's best relief arm — was hit with an 80-game suspension for violating the MLB's performance-enhancing drug policy, also leaving him ineligible for the playoffs.
With the Phillies' bullpen already being as bad as it has been this season, Alvarado's suspension brought a smile to Braves fans' faces, especially with Atlanta currently being five games back of Philadelphia for the NL East lead. Now that the suspended closer is sidelined, Brian Snitker's club has a great opportunity to further close the gap.
While some Braves fans might be ready to move on from the Alvarado suspension news, the Phillies just gave the fanbase another reason to laugh on Tuesday.
Braves Will Laugh at Desperate Phillies for Signing Former Atlanta RHP Lucas Sims
The Athletic's Matt Gelb is reporting that the Phillies have signed veteran right-handed reliever Lucas Sims to a minor-league deal. The nine-year MLB veteran has previously made appearances with the Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Washington Nationals, and, of course, the Braves.
Sims, 31, was drafted 21st overall by the Braves in 2012 before eventually making his debut in 2017. The Lawrenceville, GA native only made 20 appearances (10 starts) in parts of two seasons wearing an Atlanta jersey, going 3-6 with a 5.96 ERA before being traded to the Cincinnati Reds in a deal that saw Adam Duvall sent back to the Braves ahead of the 2018 trade deadline.
After pitching parts of seven seasons with the Reds, Sims was traded to the Red Sox last July and stayed in Boston until signing a one-year, $3 million contract with the Nationals in February. His brief tenure was nothing short of a disaster, to say the least, as the 6-foot-2 right was released on May 9 after tallying a putrid 13.86 ERA and an MLB-leading seven batters hit in 18 outings (12 1/3 innings).
Not only has Sims failed to pitch a full inning in 10 appearances so far (55.6%), but he's also allowed two homers and three earned runs in 1 1/3 innings against the Phillies this season, meaning they've had a front-row view of how bad he can be yet still decided to put pen to paper.
Whether or not he ends up playing big-league games, there's no question that the Phillies reek of desperation for even signing Sims. He might eat some minor-league innings and show some flashes of his old self, but he clearly isn't good enough to solve the NL East club's bullpen woes.
Hopefully, Philadelphia's relief-related blunders continue so that Atlanta's divisional outlook can keep improving. As it stands, DraftKings Sportsbook is listing the Braves as owning the third-best NL East odds (+360), putting them behind the Phillies (+130) and the New York Mets (+125).
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