Philadelphia Phillies: 3 relievers the club should sign

1. Alex Colome

Allowing just two earned runs in 22 1/3 innings pitched in 2020, right-hander Alex Colome was one of the best relievers in baseball. The run he had last season may not be sustainable and shows why the White Sox opted to bring in Liam Hendricks to replace Colome. Boasting a career 2.95 ERA and 3.54 FIP, Colome has been very consistent even when he is not in the closer position.

Strikeouts and velocity are increasingly important, but with Colome, it’s the ground ball rate that has allowed him to remain successful. His strikeout rate has dropped from 22.1 percent to 17.8 last season. He did possess a 52.4 percent ground ball rate last season, the best of his career.
Colome does a good job of keeping the baseball on the ground which is important at Citizens Bank Park.

While the Phillies already have Hector Neris, Jose Alvarado, and Archie Bradley competing for the closer spot, Colome would give them a more proven ninth-inning option than the rest. Kela and Bedrosian could be acquired on cheap contracts, but Colome could command a hefty one-year salary. Depending on the Phillies’ budget and willingness to spend, Colome could be a fantastic pairing with the existing bullpen pieces.

Now age 32, Colome will likely continue to see a gradual dip in his velocity, especially in his cutter, evident based on last season’s drop off in velocity. With Didi Gregorius behind him at short, the Phillies will need to make sure the rest of the infield is defensive-minded if Colome takes the hill.

Dave Dombroski could have some moves left to make and if John Middleton allows him to spend, Colome would be a great fit.