Mets should make bringing back Bartolo Colon a priority
During his three seasons with the Mets, Bartolo Colon pitched to a 44-34 record with a 3.90 ERA and 415 Strikeouts with 86 Walks over 588.2 IP, and a WHIP of 1.23.
More importantly, Colon amassed all those numbers after he turned 40 years old. 89 of his 98 games pitched during that time took place after his 41st birthday. Averaging 14 wins and 190+ IP at any age would make for a valuable pitcher. This is why the Mets should not wait and should bring him back for 2017 ASAP.
If the Mets lived in a perfect world, they wouldn’t need him, but they live in an injury-filled one. In this perfect world, The Mets essentially have their rotation set with Harvey, Syndergaard, Degrom, Matz, and Wheeler. But really, what good does such a rotation do if everyone is injury-prone?
If we knew for certain all those guys would stay healthy the whole year, they could part with Colon. But just one or two missed start by each of them leaves enough space for Colon to throw 60+ innings. The best case scenario most likely won’t happen, and we need the insurance. That’s something we can already tell.
Yes, young guys such as Lugo, Ynoa, and Gsellman do fill in nicely as an extra starter if needed. But if the worst happens, Colon would be the best option. What if Colon is needed as a starter for the whole season? Then the range of possibilities become endless.
What if he just manages to replicate his worst season with the Mets? It would still turn out as a very good outcome for the team.
If age finally begins to catch up and his skill declines a bit, the team could still benefit. If he replicates his 2016 or can perform even better, keeping him would look like an incredible move down the line.
What would it cost anyway? During his three seasons, Colon has averaged $9 Million per season, while making just north of $7 Million last season. While offering the same, or even more based on what he has done in 2016 would seem fair, the Mets would not want to offer a similar contract in case age does in fact catch up.
Offering something close to $5 Million or less would seem to be the right move as a medium between the potential of him starting the whole season or working as a reliever making spot-starts.
If it comes to it, it would be just fine if the team wanted to sign Colon for about the same as he has been making. The only thing that matters is that they get this done.
Colon has stated that he wants to return to the Mets. No matter what the price, this should be one of their main priorities right now. His skill and what he brings to the team and fans warrants it.
More from Rising Apple
This article originally appeared on 
