Trade Profiles: Tony Sipp

MLB.Astros.com

Well there were no real big rumors for the Pirates yesterday so if there aren't today or tomorrow this will be my final trade profile before the trade deadline.  And it's on a non interesting name but definitely an interesting target.  Tony Sipp started the season in the Padres farm system on a minor league contract.  He opted out and signed with the Astros where he has been dominant.  Although the Pirates haven't been linked to him I think they are asking about him.

The first cool thing with Sipp, he is a former 45th round pick!  Nobody drafted that low is supposed to make it this far.  I just thought that was pretty awesome.  Anyway, back to the real stats, Sipp is a lefty reliever with a K/9 of 12.22, BB/9 of 2.56, WHIP of 0.82, and ERA of 2.27.  His ERA should stay around there with his FIP and xFIP of 2.50 and 2.39.

Sipp also has other perks.  Because he was signed as a minor league free agent and then to the majors, his salary is pretty low.  His prospect cost should be low too since the Astros signed him for basically nothing.  Sipp also does not have any extreme splits so he is not a lefty specialist and Clint Hurdle can't misuse him.

On to the bad.  There isn't much.  He's only 31 so he's not ridiculously old.  Not a big injury past.  But there's a reason Sipp started the year in Triple A.  He's been unstable with ERAs over four the past three seasons.  You could say Sipp is a one year wonder and could revert back to his bad pitching at any time but his advanced metrics don't suggest it.

Overall, if there's any reliever on the market that the Pirates can get for cheap and still be a great late inning option, it's Sipp.  No one is talking about him and he strikes out a ton of guys.  That's exactly what the Pirates need in this market.  I would not be surprised if Neal Huntington throws feelers everywhere and then comes back to Sipp because he is the best value.  I think there is a high possibility that Sipp is a Pirate by the 31st.