Skip to content 
Chicago White Sox relief pitcher Alex Colome is attracting trade interest from the Philadelphia Phillies, as reported by Jon Morosi.
Colome arrived in Chicago from the Seattle Mariners in the offseason. The White Sox sent catcher Omar Narvaez to the west coast in the deal, and Colome has slotted in as the closer. He’s been dominant, collecting 21 saves in 22 opportunities and with a WHIP over 0.78.
With an extra year of team control, the White Sox will be looking for a notable return from the Phillies. While the south siders aren’t contending this season, their farm is beginning to deliver and they could be in the wildcard hunt in 2020.
Former number one overall pick Mickey Moniak should be enough to prize Colome away. Moniak had a rough couple of years in A and high-A, but he’s posted a .767 OPS in Double-A this year. The upside is obviously there. Now down as their ninth prospect per MLB Pipeline, Philadelphia shouldn’t see that as an overpay for a controllable, top level relief arm.
David Robertson, Pat Neshek, Seranthony Dominguez and Tommy Hunter are all long-term injury absentees for the Phillies. Starting pitching has attracted the most attention ahead of the trade deadline, but their relief corps could do with bolstering too and Colome is as good an option as any.
While starters Vince Velasquez and Zach Eflin could find themselves in the bullpen at times through August and September, the Phillies’ need is obvious. Their -1.2 relief pitcher wins above average 17th in MLB, but with their starting pitching concerns, it needs to be much better than that.
Colome’s additional year of team control is particularly important to the Phillies, who are set up to be at least as competitive in 2020 as they are this year. If they were to fall short of the wildcard, the asset(s) given up for Colome wouldn’t be completely lost, as he could still be a key component of a very strong team next season. Unlike Edwin Diaz or Felipe Vazquez, Colome is a controllable bullpen upgrade without costing the earth (Alec Bohm and/or Adonis Medina would likely have to go in a deal for Diaz or Vazquez).
