After White Sox fans had to sit through another long game, just to see the White Sox blow the game in the ninth, one can only wonder how long it will take the Sox to make the proper changes. The White Sox made the right move of signing Alex Colome to a minor league deal to combat with the lack of closing experience in the bullpen, but with all the games blown by the White Sox, he needs to be in Chicago immediately.
The White Sox Have No Closing Experience
So far the White Sox have started the season with a closer by committee. While Reynaldo Lopez has gotten the most chances, he has not been the automatic default in the ninth inning, as Pedro Grifol has used him in many other high-leverage situations before the ninth.
So far Lopez has not been great this year, as he has struggled to a 9.35 ERA. He also blew the first game against the Tampa Bay Rays, which has been the epitome of the season. So far he has blown two save opportunities. That may not seem horrible, but he has not looked great as a closer.
Once Liam Hendriks revealed he had cancer, the closer spot immediately became a need for the Sox. Nobody knew if Hendriks would ever pitch again, but luckily he has announced that he is now cancer-free. But, the timeframe of him returning is still uncertain, as some things are bigger than baseball. Despite knowing that Hendriks could be out for the whole season and potentially more, the White Sox did not make any significant moves to shore up the bullpen.
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Before the season started, the active roster minus Hendriks has a combined total of 42 career saves. To put that in comparison, last year Hendriks himself saved 37 games. While it is rare for teams to have multiple closers, the Sox still do not have that piece on the roster currently. To be blunt, the Sox don’t have a trustworthy closer at this point. With the bullpen’s current performance, they need to shake things up before it is too late. This is where Alex Colome comes into play.
An Established Option May Help
While Colome is a bit older from the last time he was in a Sox uniform, he has closed many games. In total, he has 159 saves, 42 of those coming with the White Sox. It takes a special breed to effectively close, even some of the best relief pitchers in the game cannot close out games for the life of them. Adding Colome to the roster to close out these games may allow everyone to return to their natural roles.
Currently, Colome has five innings of one-run ball in Charlotte. If he can do even half of that in Chicago, he will be an automatic upgrade to the bullpen. Besides the fact he is throwing the ball well, he adds a strong veteran presence and an established closing option, something Grifol has yet to have. Perhaps Colome’s presence will help Grifol manage the pen better.
While we cannot say for certain if Colome has a lot left in the tank, it cannot hurt to try considering the state of the bullpen. If it works out, everyone looks like a genius, but if he is bad, he will fit right in with the rest of the guys and will be DFA’d. While it may feel early to have a sense of urgency, it seems as each day passes the White Sox are less likely to make the playoffs, and they need to make moves if they want to change that.
