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The trade winds of winter are picking up as the Tampa Bay Rays and St Louis Cardinals have had talks involving the 2017 MLB saves leader, Alex Colome.
Colome, who will turn 29 years old on New Year’s Eve, just capped off his fifth year in the major leagues with 47 saves at the back end of the Rays bullpen. Colome had a 3.24 ERA and a 3.37 FIP to go along with a 20.6 K% and 8.2 BB% in just under 67 innings pitchers over 65 games.
Originally signed as international free agent in March of 2007, Colome eventually became one of the Rays top prospects and made his major league debut as a starting pitcher in May of 2013. After some success in the starting rotation, he was moved to the bullpen in June of 2015 and had massive success for the Rays in his new role.
He is still under contract for three more seasons, as he is just now entering his first year of arbitration. MLB Trade Rumors has him projected for a rather large raise as they expect him to make around $5.5M in 2018. An extreme bargain for one of the top relievers in baseball, but still a high price tag for the budget-strapped Rays.
Over the last two season, Colome has arguably been among the five best closers in baseball, and led all of baseball in saves last season (47).
Reliever Leaderboard: 2016-2017
| Name | Team | SV | IP | K/9 | BB/9 | LOB% | GB% | HR/FB | ERA | FIP | xFIP | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Team | SV | IP | K/9 | BB/9 | LOB% | GB% | HR/FB | ERA | FIP | xFIP | WAR |
| Kenley Jansen | Dodgers | 88 | 137 | 13.99 | 1.18 | 86.00% | 34.30% | 7.10% | 1.58 | 1.38 | 2.11 | 6.7 |
| Alex Colome | Rays | 84 | 123.1 | 9.41 | 2.77 | 80.60% | 48.00% | 9.40% | 2.63 | 3.16 | 3.6 | 2.3 |
| Roberto Osuna | Blue Jays | 75 | 138 | 10.76 | 1.5 | 71.60% | 39.80% | 8.60% | 3 | 2.52 | 3.12 | 4.7 |
| A.J. Ramos | - - - | 67 | 122.2 | 10.64 | 5.06 | 77.70% | 38.20% | 6.70% | 3.38 | 3.47 | 4.29 | 1.8 |
| Craig Kimbrel | Red Sox | 66 | 122 | 15.42 | 3.25 | 80.80% | 33.30% | 10.40% | 2.29 | 2.07 | 2.36 | 4.5 |
| Fernando Rodney | - - - | 64 | 120.2 | 10.37 | 4.7 | 70.70% | 53.90% | 10.00% | 3.8 | 3.45 | 3.73 | 1.7 |
| Zach Britton | Orioles | 62 | 104.1 | 8.88 | 3.11 | 85.30% | 76.90% | 8.70% | 1.38 | 2.46 | 2.59 | 3.1 |
| Cody Allen | Indians | 62 | 135.1 | 11.9 | 3.19 | 81.30% | 39.20% | 13.20% | 2.73 | 3.25 | 3.27 | 2.5 |
| Wade Davis | - - - | 59 | 102 | 11.12 | 3.88 | 85.40% | 44.20% | 7.00% | 2.12 | 2.92 | 3.61 | 2.4 |
| Aroldis Chapman | - - - | 58 | 108.1 | 13.21 | 3.16 | 75.70% | 47.40% | 6.80% | 2.33 | 1.95 | 2.53 | 4.3 |
Earlier this offseason, JT Morgan looked into several players on the St Louis Cardinals whom the Rays should look to acquire in any deal, with right-handed outfielders being the most sought after. Colome would be a smart fit for the Cards if the return price is right for the Rays.