White Sox beef up bullpen with trade for closer Alex Colome

It is no secret that the White Sox need pitching, both starting and relief. And, in an unexpected move, the team filled one of those holes by acquiring Alex Colome in a move with the Mariners.

In exchange for the relief pitcher, the Mariners got catcher Omar Narvaez. As the Mariners needed a catcher to replace Mike Zunino, both teams did well in the transaction.

But, the White Sox did better even though it leaves the team with only one veteran pitcher, Welington Castillo. To fill the hole that Narvaez left, it is expected that Seby Zavala will make his Major League debut.

The team welcomed Colome in a Tweet on Friday afternoon.

Colome is one of the better closers in the league. He excelled during his six seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays. He was traded to the Mariners in late May. There, he was used primarily as an eighth-inning guy as they used Edwin Diaz in the ninth.

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As a ChiSox, it is safe to predict that Colome will return to being a closer. The Sox have pitchers, but most have limited Major League experience. Colome could fill the role as closer until Jace Fry can show some consistency out of the bullpen. Since the White Sox re-signed set-up guy Nate Jones, the last two innings of ChiSox games could be controlled by two of the team’s best veteran pitchers.

Colome originally was signed with the Rays to be a starting pitcher, but he didn’t last long in that role. He moved to the bullpen in the 2015 season and hasn’t looked back. He took over the role as closer in 2016 and earned his first and only All-Star Game invitation. That season, he pitched 56.2 innings and earned 37 saves with a 1.91 ERA. The following season, his ERA increased, but he saved a league-leading 47 games.

He struggled a bit with the Rays in 2018 prior to being traded. After posting a career-high ERA of 4.15 in Tampa Bay, he dropped to a 2.53 in Seattle. Hopefully, he can do the same in Chicago.

The Chicago White Sox began 2018 with Joakim Soria as their closing pitcher, but he was traded to the Brewers at the July trade deadline. For the remainder of the 2018 season, the Sox struggled in the ninth inning with a rotating door of pitchers attempting (and often failing) to successfully finish games. Colome will be welcomed by the fans who will appreciate the quality signing from Rick Hahn.