There’s a bit of buzz surrounding free agent reliever Alex Colome, so here’s a ranking of where the Chicago White Sox closer may end up in 2021.
This offseason has been slow for all free agents on the market, but the rumors and action surrounding free agent bullpen arms has been especially quiet, other than Trevor May securing himself more than $15 from the New York Mets. But there’s some new buzz about former Chicago White Sox closer Alex Colome.
According to FanSided’s Robert Murray, the White Sox, Boston Red Sox, Houston Astros, and Washington Nationals have all recently expressed interest in Alex Colome, with the Minnesota Twins also having reportedly checked-in on the 32-year-old reliever.
With Liam Hendriks, Blake Treinen, Brad Hand, and Trevor Rosenthal available, relievers like Alex Colome are likely going to have to wait a bit longer to sign. But if a team in need of bullpen help wants to go ahead and grab a late-inning arm now without spending a significant amount of money, going after Colome now makes a lot of sense.
He’s coming off a solid 2020 campaign, going 2-0 with 12 saves, a 0.81 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and no home runs allowed across 22.1 innings.
However, there is some risk with bringing in Alex Colome, if a team is going to rely on him to close out games.
Colome recorded a 2.97 FIP and 4.26 xFIP, while seeing his strikeout rate fall below 20% for the first time since 2015, and he maintained a 9% walk rate for a second-straight season. The profile is a bit strange, with plenty of impressive numbers, including plenty of weak contact and groundballs, but the expected numbers aren’t as friendly.
Regardless, unless a team is willing to spend some money to improve their bullpen, Alex Colome is a solid, lower-cost gamble to take next season. Let’s rank the most likely destinations for the Chicago White Sox reliever.