Texas Rangers Agree to Minor League Deal with Bartolo Colon

The Texas Rangers want to continue adding pitching depth and they have done exactly that over the last week. They added veteran Bartolo Colon on a one-year minor league deal, but what can he bring to Arlington?

According to T.R. Sullivan, the Texas Rangers have signed 44-year-old Bartolo Colon to a minor league deal. He will earn $1.75 million plus incentives, but adds much-needed depth to the Rangers rotation.

General manager Jon Daniels does not believe Texas will sign any upper-level arms this offseason. Instead, the Rangers have focused on adding depth to the rotation. Lately they’ve added, Paolo Espino, Austin Bibens-Dirkx, Jon Niese, and Colon.

All four pitchers will receive an invite to Spring Training and an opportunity to show their skills this March. Although, Colon might have the best chance out of the bunch at actually landing on the 25-man roster.

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The 2017 campaign did not go as planned for Colon. He went 7-14 with a 6.48 ERA in 28 starts between the Braves and Twins. Despite the ugly stat line, Colon finished with a -0.1 WAR, which is not as ugly as the stats.

The former Cy Young award winner was arguably the best pitcher in the Mets rotation during 2016. He went 15-8 with a 3.43 ERA in 34 games (33 starts) in New York. He was the most durable and reliable option in the Mets rotation that season.

The four-time All-Star is not going to light up the radar gun like many others on the roster. He does not need to as the 20-year veteran has found a way to win without velocity. Colon ranks first among active pitchers with 240 wins.

It’s a low risk deal that could end up paying off for Texas. The Rangers can always send Mike Minor to the bullpen, if Colon grabs a spot in the rotation. It is a smart signing by Texas, but we’ll wait and see how Colon pitches this spring.