9:49am: The Mets and possibly also the Cubs are engaged on Colome, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports on Twitter. Unsurprisingly, it seems most teams with clear late-inning needs appear to have shown at least some level of interest in the youthful, controllable hurler.
6:56am: The Cardinals and Rockies have their sights firmly set on Alex Colome. Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports reports that both teams are “aggressively pursuing” the Rays closer.
Though the Cardinals signed Luke Gregerson to a one-year pact only yesterday, it seems they’re not done adding to a bullpen that saw former closer Trevor Rosenthal tear the UCL in his throwing elbow this past season and then watched Zach Duke, Juan Nicasio and Seung-Hwan Oh depart in free agency. Earlier this offseason, Jeff Todd mentioned Alex Colome as a potential trade target when he examined the Cardinals’ search for a closer. Notably, the Rays have room for improvement in left field, whereas the Cardinals have an abundance of young outfield talent.
The Rockies have plenty of young players to offer as well, though their strength comes mostly in the form of starters. They are, of course, looking to replace closer Greg Holland. Holland signed a one-year pact with Colorado last offseason and had a strong bounce back season, saving 41 games for the Rockies. Ultimately, he rejected both his player option and a qualifying offer, leaving Colorado with a hole to fill in the back end of their bullpen.
Colome will enter the 2018 season at the age of 29. He’s spent his entire career with the Rays, and though he came up as a starter, he transitioned to a relief role during the 2015 season. Early in the 2016 season, Colome took over as Tampa Bay’s closer and has been solid for them ever since. The right-hander led all of baseball with 47 saves last season, and sports a 2.64 ERA to go with a 48.4% ground ball rate and 9.43 K/9 since taking over the closer role. Colome projects to earn $5.5MM in arbitration this year, and comes with two more years of team control beyond that.
Unless Longo is apart of the deal, Rox can have him
Something tells me the Rockies are content with their 3rd baseman.
Hahaha! I think you’re right mate
hahahaha yeah, Pat Valenka!!!!
You think !!!
That’s not what he meant…
how can you say that without knowing what the cards are giving up to get him?
Second place again??? Ha!
Good to know that their at least going after a closer
I would rather have Miles Mikolas start the game, then come in for middle relief, and then close all in one game
Only want Colome if Archer is included. Start with Flaherty, Kelly, Grichuk, Bader and go from there.
Sign Cargo to a 1 year deal who probably isn’t the impact bat we need but a Cargo/J-Mart platoon has the potential to work great for just this year. Saving money on cheaper pitchers (Arhcer/Colome) will allow us to pay 50-60 million to an offensive combo like Blackmon and Machado. Our offense was only 9 runs below the Dodgers in 2017.
We have the potential to be great this year but a rotation of C-Mart, Archer, Reyes, Weaver, Wahca/Mikolas can be deadly for years to come.
Patience on offense can get us a lineup of Carp, Pham, Blackmon, Machado, Fowler, Dejong, Molina, wong/Gyorko.
Colome would immediately become the best reliever on your team. You don’t need Archer and thats the reason you don’t make decisions for the Cardinals
Thank you for this. I can’t thumbs up on the mobile app or I’d do that too
They do need someone like Archer. A rotation of Martinez, Wacha, Wainwright, Weaver and the new guy from Japan is super shaky and has a lot of if’s.
Blackmon and Machado would not be until next year is the only problem with your above proposal. Unless of course they emptied the farm to get those two this year for some reason….
This is a two year proposal. I understand the confusion though. Emptying the farm for two rentals would kill our farm and be absolutely stupid.
The idea is great for the Cardinals! The issue is that package may not get Archer by himself, much less adding Colome as well! To package both together the Rays would likely demand a package with Reyes and Weaver involved!
Are you calling Archer a cheaper pitcher? Wait and see the hugh return he gets before you think that he’s going to be cheap. Several years of control for a pitcher with nasty stuff. If Tampa decides to move him…it’ll be a haul.
Cheap as in salary. Archer never makes 10 million a year in his contract. I’m aware he is probably going to require a haul. The saved money on salary can go to an offensive upgrade.
Ok….was thinking in acquiring costs, not salary. That’s why it’ll take a ton for basically a .500 pitcher.
He mean cheap in terms of financial cost. Everyone knows it’s going to take a kings ransom to pry him from Tampa, but his proposed idea has the Cards adding impact arms at a low financial cost so they have money to add impact bats during next years offseason
Facts
Yea sure tell Tampa they have to throw in Archer. Good luck
Don’t trade Kelly!
If cards want colome then since the cubs also need a closer and have wanted archer, the cubs won’t allow that to happen. So don’t get your hopes up.
What do the Cubs have to do with a Rays/Cardinals trade?
Everything! That is if both teams want the same pitcher. The Cubs will pay or trade better than the Cardinals. At least as recent past history shows anyway.
The Cubs won’t have a choice. The Cards have a better and deeper farm system. If they want Archer/Colome then the Cubs can’t stand in their way.
Cards need pitching more than an impact bat!
No the Cardinals defense needs to get better and yes they need a impact bat. The Cardinals starters are good, it’s the bullpen that needs a overhaul. If it wasn’t for the 26 blown saves, the Cardinals would’ve won the division
Disagreed. Waino and Wacha are huge health risks, Weaver and Mikolas (spelling?) are super unknown and Martinez is a number 2. Getting another really good starter is more important than a bat IMO.
Lance Lynn?????
I’ll take a little from column b
If Archer is included it becomes a trade of more better young players/pospects that the Cards will have to send over. Not saying it won’t happen but with these trades the talent coming back to the Rays gets bigger when you add in Archer or Longo (or both)
JPR the gang is at this thread on MLB. Your cats want you to come here.
goo.gl/5WXv8i
Interesting what cubs would/will offer.
Drive up prospect cost and let Cubs have him. Better to go under radar with bullpen guys with few minor exceptions. Chapman, Kimbrel, Jansen, Miller, etc.
Cubs don’t have the trade chips to get him
Schwarber,Happ,Baez,Russell,almora?
As Cards fan I’d love to see cubs give up any of those for colome. Not wise to give up that much for most relievers
Maybe all of them together.
Themed – I think if you throw in Kris Bryant, Wilson Contreras, Anthony Rizzo and Kyle Hendricks along with those guys above then theres chance the Rays pull the trigger.
Cubbies definitely have the capital to get Colome. I don’t think they can get Archer though.
They have the pieces to get anyone they want, but you have to weigh the cost. If they sign Cobb, then Archer isn’t even necessary. Ultimately, I’d like one more solid starter and one more solid back end bullpen pitcher. Bring up Maples, continue to let CJ mature and lets go!
I think Cardinals fans missed the memo.They are no longer the best ran team or the team free agents want to go to in the central! That designation belongs to the freaking Cubs.
No one wants to play for Matheny, he’s a jerk..That’s why they have to go the trade route which means emptying the farm.It’s not a good place to be no matter how deep the farm system is.
I’m so sick of this narrative. Two players have “turned down” cards. 1. Heyward, can’t blame him for wanting to be part of Cubs 1st WS in 108 years and good for cards that he did. Second is Stanton and he also turned down 26 other teams because he’s short sighted and picked last years top 4 teams and loves big cities. Kudos to him. I know of no other players to get best offer from cards and then turn them down.
We’re all sick of it buddy. Changes need to be made from the top of this organization.
I’m sick of it because I don’t believe the narrative.
You’re wrong.
No he isn’t lol
Is so!
I would read zero into the Stanton decision. Cardinals and Giants were just used as leverage it appears to me. Yankees were the target all along…probably Dodgers too and LA wouldnt take the bait. He didnt turn StL down as much as just use them to get the Yankee deal done. Marlins knew well before we did that the NY deal was going down…even before the news he declined SF and StL….they offloaded Dee Gordon because they knew Castro was incoming.
The fact that the cubs were on the list says volumes, you can add Price to the list (they did dodge a bullet there)..I also think the city has an image problem.I know the last two times I went to St Louis my car was broken into once (and I stayed in Clayton)and I got threatened at an intersection just for stopping at a red light by some locals.Another time while walking to my car at the Children’s hospital I hurried back in when I heard gunshots a block or two over…That was last year but I have not been back.People remember and ballplayers hear it too.Just my experience.. I for one am sick of the narrative everything is peachy,it’s not!
Price got more money to go to Boston. Period. He thought he was going to stl, was content with that. No where have I heard anything that price did not want to come here. And if anyone is using crime rates to say St. Louis is less desirable than Chicago, ny or la, then you are clueless about St. Louis
That’s in EVERY big city! If you spent any time in other cities , guess what? There would be problems there too. Don’t act like it’s just in St. Louis.
Price didn’t say no to the Cards, he said yes then Boston three another $25 million at him and the Cardinals chose not to match.
*threw
Actually, in regards to violent crime rates, St. Louis is the most dangerous city in America.
usatoday.com/story/money/business/2016/10/01/most-…
The Cubs farm system has been depleted with all of the promotions to the big club the last 3 years. If the Cubs wants to do something big, they’ll have to trade from the major league club. They might as well do something with some of those players because they’re not going to be able to keep them all.
I think the Cubs are well aware of that and willing to do so for the right deal. They have an over abundance of talent in the OF and IF. If they can use some kind of combination of Happ/Schwarber/Almora/Russell/Baez to acquire controllable and affordable arms for the next several seasons, they won’t hesitate to do so.
Cards need a closer but I feel this might get into a bidding war for colome so id love to see us drive price up and cubs get him for talent off big league squad. Further making it hard for cubs to go big after other trade targets(archer).
I think it will/will have to be a trade for Colome plus Odorozzi and/or Archer and/or Longoria.
But I hope if they swing a trade with Tampa that they have enough in the coffers for Ozuna. Rather they get Ozuna and spend cash on Reed and Nicasio. If they can get Colome, Ozuna, Odorozzi and Nicasio, that’d be great.
Mozeliak couldn’t pull off a trade like that if the GM of Tampa was his dad.
The Cards are usually too precious about their prospects, but they have to get rid of some outfielders (especially if they went after Ozuna) and know that they’ll have to (and appear willing to) offer Flaherty and Alcantrera to trade for any real talent. It’s just a question, to me, of how much he can get back for Bader, O’Niell, Sierra, Grichuck and/or Piscotty, Flaherty, Alcantera, and maybe Kelly.
Mozeliak is the wrong man for the job.
Maybe Girsch can do it.
Then who is going to run for coffee for Mo and Bill?
Ryan Franklin.
I think he’s there to pour, not gas but coffee.
Dude we get it. You hate mo, Dewitt and cards. I’m fine with that.
The Mets? As in that team who is in desperate need for multiple relievers, with a horrible farm system? Yep. Good God. The Mets are in huge trouble, but don’t want to admit it. Honestly. Questions around the infield (Dominic Smith, starting 1B, if so, how will he do? Amed Rosario’s first full year, how will that go? (side note, I think he’ll do alright) and who’s their third baseman? You can not trust David Wright to even play 100 games at this point). Of course, the back end of the bullpen with Familia, Ramos, and Blevins is something to build on, but they have hardly anything else. And their rotation can’t stay healthy if their life depended on it.
Hmmmm
Cubs already have a guy who wears his hat crooked that the fans can’t stand. Our fans would not be able to handle another one.
So your fans hate black people?
Happ, and a few prospects for archer and colome!!
Then go and aqcuire yelich or benintendi. All the cubs holes will then be filled besides signing another decent reliever like Reed.
Happ and scraps for Archer and Colome. You’re a funny dude.
Is Benintendi available or just wishful thinking