Red Sox showing interest in former Rays and White Sox closer
The Red Sox are among multiple teams showing interest in a free-agent former Rays and White Sox reliever who posted a 0.81 ERA last season.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – SEPTEMBER 17: Alex Colome #48 of the Chicago White Sox pitches in the 9th inning for a save against the Minnesota Twins at Guaranteed Rate Field on September 17, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois. The White Sox defeated the Twins 4-3 to clinch a berth in the 2020 Major League playoffs. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Jonathan Daniel/Getty ImagesBy Matt Dolloff, 985TheSportsHub.com
The Red Sox are among multiple teams showing interest in free-agent former Rays and White Sox reliever Alex Colome, according to Robert Murray of FanSided. Colome is coming off a season in which he posted a 0.81 ERA and notched 12 saves in 21 appearances for Chicago.
Colome first rose to major league relevance with the Rays, where he played the first five-plus seasons of his career. He peaked in 2017 when he led the league with 47 saves. He's also spent time with the Seattle Mariners.
A bit of an outlier in today's major leagues, Colome has been an effective reliever despite a relatively low strikeout rate. He struck out only 16 batters in 22.1 innings in 2020 as he pitched to contact more than most pitchers. He does throw hard, though, with a four-seam fastball that can hit the mid-90s.
Colome spent much of his career with a deep arsenal of pitches, but in 2020 condensed it to just a fastball and cutter, according to FanGraphs. He threw his cutter 72 percent of the time, which helped him post a career-best groundball rate of 52.4 percent in 2020. He would have easily led all regular Red Sox relievers in ERA last year.
The former Rays reliever showed he can still get results despite the lack of strikeouts for a closer. After a dismal year on the pitching staff, Chaim Bloom and the Red Sox should try to get results however they can. It's no surprise that the former Rays exec is showing interest in one of his former players.
Matt Dolloff is a digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Yell at him on Twitter @mattdolloff or send him a nasty email at matthew.dolloff@bbgi.com.
