Jose Ruiz was the cause of lots of distress on the South Side. He was terrible during high-leverage situations but always seemed to hang around the roster because of his pitching during mop-up duty. But the White Sox finally had enough trading him to the Diamondbacks over the weekend.
This move was made possible thanks in part to a minor league deal with reliever Alex Colomé. Colomé is a familiar face on the South Side. He served as the White Sox closer from 2019-20, posting a 2.27 ERA and 42 saves over 83 games. During that stretch, he held opponents to a .183/.262/.313 slash line, which helped him overcome an alarming walk rate. Colomé is currently in Triple-A Charlotte but could be up soon to join the big-league bullpen, especially after the news that Joe Kelly was heading to the IR.
Since leaving Chicago, Colomé has struggled to find his footing. He threw 65 innings for the rival Twins and put up a surprising 4.15 ERA. Things got even worse the following season in Colorado. After signing a $4.1 million deal with the Rockies, he got lit up to the tune of a 5.74 ERA over 47 games.
Over the last two seasons, he’s allowed 4.82 earned runs per nine innings with a 17.8% strikeout percentage and an average 8.9% walk rate.
Colomé spent the spring in the Washington Nationals organization but was granted his release after failing to make the roster. Given his recent history, it doesn’t sound like a very good addition. However, this is a low-risk signing that has plenty of upsides. Colomé is a former All-Star who had a 47-save season in 2017.
The talent is there for him to be a high-leverage reliever like he has shown he can be in the past. Despite the recent struggles, he has still induced grounders at a robust 54.5% clip.
It is a White Sox bullpen searching for answers, and Colomé can’t be much worse than what the White Sox already has.
The White Sox opened the season with three of their primary relievers on the shelf. Liam Hendriks, Garrett Crochet, and Matt Foster are all on the IL. Crochet and Hendriks are two of the most talented arms on the roster, and the team has been reeling without them.
Heading into Monday’s game against Minnesota, White Sox relievers had a combined 8.31 ERA, the worst mark in the MLB. The White Sox bullpen has also allowed six home runs and 26 walks, the second most in the MLB.
Jose Ruiz was a major reason why. Ruiz was jettisoned from the roster after allowing nine runs in just 3.2 innings. By DFAing him and trading him to the Diamondbacks for cash considerations, the front office is signaling that they are no longer messing around. Ruiz stayed on the roster despite five seasons of poor play, but this year was finally the straw that broke the camel’s back.
The more significant issue is that Ruiz even made the team, considering how much Rick Hahn spent on the bullpen. Colomé will not solve all of the bullpens glaring issues, but it is a nice patchwork addition to try and stabilize the relief corps while Hendirks and Crochet ramp up for a return.
GREAT