The White Sox off season got underway today as they traded catcher Omar Narvaez to Seattle for right-handed relief pitcher Alex Colome.
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) November 30, 2018
This trade may come as a surprise to some, seeing as they already parted ways with Kevan Smith. This means that Welington Castillo is the only catcher with a roster spot. The guess here is that the team gives Seby Zavala a legitimate chance to win the backup role out of spring training. Assuming Zack Collins starts his year with Triple-A, he will no longer have to share catching duties with Zavala, which should speed up his development.
Colome is a reliever who spent the majority of his career in Tampa Bay, but was traded to the Mariners last year. In 2018 with Tampa Bay and Seattle, Colome put up a 3.04 ERA and a 1.0 WAR in 68 IP. His career K/9 and BB/9 sits at 9.13 and 2.97, respectively. He also was an All-Star in 2016.
The White Sox end up getting great value here. They traded a platoon catcher for a legitimate reliever who can helps bolster the back end of the bullpen. The White Sox do have a number of young, home grown guys in their bullpen, but they still need a veteran to pair with Nate Jones. Colome is going to be that guy.
