Alex Colome starts White Sox career with 30 save season
Alex Colome has been a stabilizing force at the back end of the Chicago White Sox bullpen in 2019.
The Chicago White Sox acquired the right-hander in the offseason from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for catcher, Omar Narvaez.
While Narvaez actually had a breakout season in Seattle this year, Colome has been phenomenal for the White Sox as well.
On Tuesday night, he recorded his 30th save of the season for the team and considering the fact that the team has 69 wins on the season, he’s been extremely crucial for them late in games this season.
In fact, he ranks fourth in the American League in saves this season, trailing only Brad Hand, Roberto Osuna, and Aroldis Chapman in that category.
Over his 61 appearances, Colome has also registered a 2.54 ERA, 3.92 FIP, and 1.028 WHIP. He’s averaging 8.1 K/9 as compared to 3.4 BB/9.
Based on ERA+, this has been Colome’s second-best season (181) of his career, with his 2016 season (211) with the Tampa Bay Rays being the only one that ranks higher.
With the White Sox hoping that this is the last year they have to deal with their rebuild, it is very good to already have a top reliever like Colome in place.
Many teams that aren’t contending tend to trade relievers in order to add assets that could be more beneficial for the future, but given the fact that the White Sox hope to contend in 2020, keeping Colome in the fold was definitely the right move.
The 30-year-old is heading into his final year of arbitration eligibility before being set to become a free agent after next season according to Spotrac.
With that being the case, the team should look into extending him sooner rather than later if he can be signed at a reasonable price. If they want to avoid going to arbitration with him, it could certainly be tempting for him to sign a three-year extension in the $30 million range.
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Alex Colome has been everything the Chicago White Sox could have expected from him in 2019 and, hopefully, the reliever will stay with the team long-term.