The New York Mets are trying their best to get back into the NL East Division race picture for next season as they have signed 40-year old RHP Bartolo Colon to a 2-year $20 million contract Wednesday evening.
Adam Katz got his two-year deal for Bartolo Colon, with the Mets.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) December 11, 2013
Mets, P Bartolo Colon have agreed to a 2-year, $20 million deal, according @Buster_ESPN and multiple reports.
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 11, 2013
The signing of Colon, comes just one week after the club signed former New York Yankee centerfielder Curtis Granderson to a four-year $60 million contract. Colon, will turn 41 in May of this upcoming season.
Much controversy has surrounded Colon in 2012 when he was suspended 50 games by Major League Baseball for taking steroids. Colon has been in the Majors since 1997 and has spent time with eight different teams.
In his career, he has won 189 games which is now 5th for active players since former Toronto Blue Jay and Philadelphia Phillies stating pitcher Roy Halladay retired on Monday. 21 of those wins came in his Cy-Young season back in 2005 while part of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. His second career high is 20 when he split time between the Cleveland Indians and Montreal Expos going 10-4 for each team in 2002.
From 2005-2011, Colon was a rather silent pitcher in the league only winning 14 games over a span of four years. In 2011, he pitched for the Yankees in an attempt to revitalize his career, it was successful. That year, he went a 8-10 with a 4.00 ERA in 29 games. After that, Colon signed as a free-agent for $2 million over one year with the Oakland Athletics and went 10-8 including a suspension for steroids. He resigned with the A’s after the 2012 season and went 18-6 last year with a 2.65 ERA which brings us to today.
Colon will join a Mets’ rotation that currently has Dillon Gee , Jonathan Niese and Zack Wheeler and a fifth starter which will be decided during spring training. Colon is expected to be the number one or two starter for the Mets as phenom Matt Harvey will be out the upcoming season as he recovers from a Tommy John surgery.
[Featured Photo:AP Photo/Reed Saxon]
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