For the second time in two days the Atlanta Braves have signed a right-handed, Cy Young Award-winning pitcher in his forties to a one-year free agent deal. Yesterday saw the team bring 42-year-old knuckler R.A. Dickey into the fold. Today’s signee is none other than the ageless (ok, he’ll turn 44 early next season) Bartolo Colon. The deal is for $12.5 million.
Atlanta will be Colon’s ninth MLB team.
As we noted when Dickey signed, the core of Atlanta’s pitching staff is quite young. It briefly appeared as though Dickey would become the elder statesman of the group, however, Colon has quickly overtaken him as the oldest pitcher (and player) on the team. Atlanta will count on the two veterans to provide stability and mentor their other young arms.
Colon spent the vast majority of his career in the American League until joining the New York Mets in 2014 (he did play half a season for the Montreal Expos but it was entirely AL outside of that). In his three seasons in the Big Apple (his age 41-43 seasons), Colon proved to be a workhorse. He never dipped below 190 innings pitched or 31 starts.
In his youth, Colon was actually a power pitcher with impressive velocity and a svelte physique. Today, though, he’s playing at 285 pounds (at just 5-foot-11) and rarely touches 90 mph on the radar gun. Still, despite his age and waning physical tools, Colon has remained effective. Though he always had impressive command, he has taken it to another level in his 40s. His 1.50 BB/9 in 2016 was his highest mark since posting a 2.19 BB/9 in 2011.
He has two decades of experience, can mix his pitches well, change speeds, and locate his entire repertoire. While those skills have helped him prolong his career, Atlanta hopes they may wear off on some their young starters.
Of course, if history tells us anything it’s that Colon has a slim chance of finishing the year with Atlanta. Though the team should improve in 2017, they will still likely fall well short of the playoffs. If Bartolo comes out of the gates hot, look for contenders to come seeking his services.
Regardless, the Braves managed to add 85 years and an infinite amount of entertainment value to their pitching staff over the course of just two days. They may not be a contender yet, but I’ll be damned if they won’t be fun to watch.
Scott Ferris covers the Braves as a Staff Writer for Outside Pitch MLB. You can follow him on Twitter @ScottHFerris
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