The Mets finalized a 2-year/$20 million contract with Bartolo Colon yesterday. He’s over 40 years old and has been suspended for PED use in the past. But it’ll help get the Mets through the 2014 season without Matt Harvey. Colon had a big year with the A’s last season with 18 wins and a 2.65 ERA.
We’ll see if Colon can duplicate his performance with the Mets. Even if he gets 9 or 10 wins with an ERA under 4.00, that would be a win for the Mets.
photo credit: Keith Allison via photopin cc
Back on February 25th when I was looking at the Mets potential Quadruple-A starters, I wrote that I was disappointed that the Red Sox signed Bartolo Colon. At the time, the Mets were put off by his excessive weight.
Well, tonight Colon beat the Orioles to bring his record to 4-1 with a 3.41 ERA. I know that hindsight is 20/20. I know that you should look forward and not back, but this was a big mistake by Omar Minaya.
Colon would’ve given the Mets a great insurance policy in case someone (let’s say Oliver Perez) blew up during the season or someone was hurt for a significant period of time (Pedro Martinez). Perez is 4-4 with a 5.37 ERA. Martinez is 1-0 with a 6.91 ERA is three starts.
Who knows if Colon will make it through a long hot summer? He is obese. But he sure looks good for Boston so far.
I was disappointed to see that Bartolo Colon signed a minor league contract with Boston. He’s a much better option as a long shot starter than Tony Armas, Jr. is. Colon is only three years removed from a Cy Young Award.
Obviously, Colon’s weight is a concern. It looks like he ate himself out of LA and he’s been hurt for the last two years. Prior to that he was a consistent 30+ start per year pitcher. In his 11 year career (he’ll be 35 in May) he’s 146-95 with a 4.10 ERA. He won 20 games a year twice, most recently in 2005.
Contrast Colon with Tony Armas, Jr. and his 9 year career record 52-65 with a 4.62 ERA, no All-Star games and no Cy Young’s. Sure, he’s played on some bad teams with the Expos/Nats and Pirates. But it just doesn’t make sense to me that the Mets would go in this direction.
The last few years have seen several forgettable starts from veterans called up from the minors like Brian Lawrence, Chan Ho Park, and Jose Lima. Even though Pelfrey and El Duque are vying for the final spot in the rotation, the Mets are bound to need a veteran starter at some point during the season. Minaya missed the boat when he didn’t get Colon.
Yesterday Dayn Perry from FoxSports wrote a list of the top free agents left on the market. As you know, I’d like to see the Mets find out what kind of contract that Barry Bonds is looking for. If he wants one or two years at a reasonable price, there’s no reason that the Mets shouldn’t sign him.
You’ve probably heard that the Mets have been talking to Scott Boras about Kyle Lohse for quite some time. Apparently, his contract demands exceed his pitching skills by a wide margin. But Bartolo Colon might be worth a look as a fifth starter for a one year contract. He’s had way too many cheeseburgers and had a bad year last year. But there’s potential there as his Cy Young Award will attest to.
The Mets Report 