http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3262747 The Boston Red Sox have reached preliminary agreement on a minor league contract with right-hander Bartolo Colon, a source told ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick. If he makes the Opening Day roster, Colon would provide rotation insurance for Boston, which will be without Curt Schilling, who is working his way back from a shoulder injury. Under the terms of the agreement, Colon is not guaranteed any money, a baseball source told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney. If he pitches in the major leagues, it will be for a low baseball salary with performance bonuses. The White Sox, Cardinals and Astros also had been rumored as possible suitors for Colon this offseason. According to Olney, Colon was close to an agreement with the Mets earlier this winter, but New York backed off out of concern for the condition of his pitching arm. Colon suffered through an injury-marred 2007 for the Los Angeles Angels, posting a 6-8 record and a 6.34 ERA -- the worst of his career. In his 11-year career, Colon is 146-95 with a 4.10 ERA. He is a two-time 20-game winner, and he won the Cy Young Award in 2005 with the Angels.
It's always amazing to see when the mighty have fallen. Not that Colon can't be effective if healthy, but it's just amazing how he went from someone the Yankees feared to "Oh, we got Colon today? Cool." Not a bad move for the Sox to attempt to replace Schilling with him though.
When did they ever fear him? His career ERA against the Yanks is 6.04. He had one complete game shutout against the Yanks in 2000. Practically every other time they've faced him, the Yanks have lit him up. Doesn't matter anyway. Colon is cooked.
For a $1 million dollar deal, this is a no lose situation for the sox. Great move, even if it doesn't work out. If he even has teh potential to come close to his old self, it's a million dollar steal!:grin:
Really? Wow, I guess that was my perception talking again. Very interesting. I honestly remember fearing facing the Angels, and Colon being a significant reason why. Ah well, either way, I don't fear him anymore. It was a good pickup for the Sox though. Replacing Schilling with Colon isn't really anything more than a lateral move, except in terms of postseason composure. You can't do a lot better than Schilling in October, if you think in terms of what his intensity and leadership in those games brings. At this point though, there are enough guys on that team to provide postseason leadership to any of the young guys.
I love this move. He isn't guaranteed anything, so if he's ineffective in ST games they can either cut him or stash him in AAA for insurance. That's the worst case scenario. If he's able to be even 3/4 of what he was a couple years ago, then the Sox have a HUGE bargain.
Oh PLEASE let him pitch against the Yankees. A-Rod stat padding time. Maybe he'll have a 4 HR game next time.
I agree that it's a good move... but that if of yours is seeming like a HUGE if. On top of a myriad of shoulder and elbow injuries the past two years, the guy apparently looked like absolute crap in winter ball (hence the bargain basement contract).
Epstein loves this type of "throw it at the wall and see if it sticks" signing, it's low risk high reward so I see it as a good move than either can look brilliant in a few months and if it (as it probably will) doesn't work out then nothing is lost.
Colon didn't deserve that Cy Young. But that's beside the point. Bartolo sucks, but there's always that potential. When it's just a minor league deal in spring training, hey, why not?
seems to me like just another move that makes the red sox seem like the yankees of the last 5 years. keep signing old injured pitchers and well keep trying to stick with the young guns. and innings bartolo takes away from clay is fine by me.
Huh? Note to Sox fans: This post doesn't represent the intelligence of the Yankees fans on this board.
oh im sorry swami, but this signing makes no sense to me. sure bartolo is a low risk high reward, but a million dollars is a million dollars. i referenced the red sox making moves like the yankees because they seem to be trying to fill their holes with free agent players (much like the yankees of past) rather then giving their young arms a chance. one arm goes down so they sign another. we all saw what clay and even somewhat lester did last year i dont see why you wouldnt want them in the rotation. if i was a red sox fan i would have been very optimistic when schilling went down, knowing that clay and lester would be in the rotation. why would i want to risk them losing innings for bartolo colon?
Um, insurance. How many times has a rotation gone through an entire season with only five starters? I truly doubt that Colon will be taking innings away from Lester or Buchholz (unless they're innings that Buchholz wasn't going to pitch anyway due to an innings limit). Not to mention that they have a 40+ year old knuckleballer who has a bad back in the rotation. If it works out, great. Who wouldn't want a former Cy Young winner able to make a spot start for them? If, on the other hand, it doesn't work out, it's not that big of a deal.
Of course it doesn't. Because you don't understand it. They're not signing Colon to take innings away from their young starters. They're signing him for insurance. I'd rather have a former Cy Young winner waiting in the wings if someone gets hurt, then go to some mediocre minor leaguer.
