Stantonless Cardinals are reportedly pursuing trade for Álex Colomé - A Hunt and Peck

And some other guys...

By lil_scooter93 Dec 11, 2017, 1:00pm EST

Not sure if you heard, but Giancarlo Stanton did not waive his No Trade Clause to be traded to the Cardinals. Within the next few days, I am sure there will be articles dissecting what happened and all the good stuff. That is not this article. I am not a dissector. I am a “OOOOOOOOOO LOOOOOK AT THIS” type of gal.

So folks, check this out: According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Cardinals are “aggressively pursuing Álex Colomé”:

The #STLCards and #Rockies are aggressively pursuing #Rays closer Alex Colome in trade talks
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) December 11, 2017

Now if you are like me, you might not know exactly who Álex Colomé is. So let’s find out together!

My research tells me (thanks Fangraphs!) he is a pitcher on the Rays that will turn twenty-nine years old on New Year’s Eve, which is kind of a cool day for a birthday if you ask me. After losing most of the 2014 season due a steroid-related suspension of fifty games, he made a few starts in 2015 for the Rays. The following season he was moved to the bullpen where he has seemingly thrived. 2016 was probably his career year - bolstered by an outrageous 93% LOB - where he earned thirty-seven saves while boasting a a 1.91 ERA and a 2.92 FIP. Colomé struck out 37% of batters while walking 6%. He has since regressed to more realistic, but still steady numbers. In 2017 he led the league with forty-seven saves, but with a more repeatable 72.4% LOB, a 3.24 ERA and 3.37 FIP, with a K-Rate at around 20%.

Colomé will enter his first year of arbitration in 2018 and, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, projects to earn $5.5 million. At the right deal, Colomé could be a nice pickup for the Cardinals.

Topkin: As Rays start dealing, how far will they go? | Tampa Bay Times

Cardinals, Rockies "Aggressively Pursuing" Alex Colome | MLB Trade Rumors