The Key to Beefing up the Bullpen: Alex Colomé

A new name flushed into Twins offseason talks earlier this week when Darren Wolfson of KSTP reported that the organization has shown interest in White Sox reliever Alex Colomé.

https://twitter.com/DWolfsonKSTP/status/1345427590123823106

The 6’1" right-hander from the Dominican Republic joins a long list of potential free-agents that the Twins have shown in interest in. And while it’s unlikely that pen will be put to paper soon, the addition of Colomé could bolster the Twins bullpen in a unique way.

Who is He?

While the Twins saw a hefty amount of Alex Colomé the past two seasons, the RHP has bounced around the American League in his eight-year career. He spent 2013 through the first month of 2018 with the Rays. During his tenure at the Trop, Colomé boasted quality numbers, garnering All-Star honors in 2016 and a league-leading 47 saves in 2017.

Colomé was traded alongside Denard Span to the Mariners in May of 2018. Primarily a closer for the Rays, Colomé shifted to an eighth-inning setup man for the 2018 Mariners, where he held 30 leads.

Following a successful year in Seattle Colomé was traded to the White Sox after the 2018 season. 2019 proved to be successful for the White Sox closer, with Colomé racking up 30 saves, tying Taylor Rogers for fourth most in the American League. While 2020 provided a small sample size, Colomé was still quite effective, earning 12 saves (third in AL) including two against the Twins (and a win on Sept. 14).

Why should the Twins sign him?

Rocco Baldelli has been hesitant to use the term “closer” throughout his time in Minnesota. The addition of Colomé could infuse the Twins bullpen with late-inning versatility to complement fastball and slider hurler Taylor Rogers.

Rogers has become the bread and butter of late-inning appearances for the Twins. Rogers relies heavily on his fastball, throwing it 53% of the time at an average speed of 95 MPH. His “off the table” slider fills the remaining bulk of pitches, tossing it 43% of the time at an average speed of 81 MPH.

Colomé’s arsenal is polar-opposite of Rogers, and pretty much everyone else on the Twins staff. The RHP has made a name for himself by touting one of the strongest cutters in the game. Colomé doesn’t just throw his cutter in 0-2 counts, he throws it 79% of the time. It isn’t going to strike a whole lot of guys out, but as the Twins saw during the Mariano Rivera era, the pitch results in a ton of ground balls and broken bats.

I’m not saying that Alex Colomé is Mariano Rivera, but a late-inning platoon of him and Taylor Rogers could be lethal. It’s almost certain that Rogers and Caleb Thielbar will carry the weight of left-handed pitches in the bullpen. With the loss of Trevor May, Matt Wisler, and Sergio Romo the Twins are in need of another strong righty arm.

How Much?

As Tom Froemming mentions in his analysis, it’s unlikely that the Twins would sign Colomé to a multi-year deal. Yet a one year deal in the $6 million ballpark could be appealing for both parties.

At age 32, Colomé is beginning the veteran stage of his career. Yet there’s no doubt that the guy still has talented stuff and it shows due to the variety of teams that are interested in him.

https://twitter.com/ByRobertMurray/status/1345486419888844800

The Twins have already made a move in the pen, signing flame-thrower Hansel Robles. The addition of a division foe in Colomé could beef up a bullpen that needs to be stellar if the Twins want to make a deep run in October.

SEE ALSO

• Twins Should Sign This Under-the-Radar Free Agent
  
• Let's Rescue A Rocky
  
• Twins Sign RHP Hansel Robles
  
• Potential Twins Free Agent Targets: 8 Flying Under the Radar