We’ve all read the raves and the rants on the Mets signing Bartolo Colon to a two-year, $20 million deal. We’ve read tens of thousands of words on the pros and the cons, the upside and the downside, the high-water marks and the pitfalls. But this is MM – the last word on everything Amazin… This is where die-hard Met fans have their say. So I threw this question to our crack staff…
Bartolo Colon For Two Years – Boom Or Bust?
Jacob R. – Boom on the signing, Bust on the years. I would never hand out multi-million dollar deals to 40-year olds, regardless of how well they pitched the previous year.
Zack – I’m typically wrong about these things, so I’m going to say “bust,” hoping that through some sort of superstitious reverse psychology, Colon is awesome for two years. I think we can all agree that one year would have been preferable, but when it comes down to either two years or no years, sometimes you have to give something up.
Jessep – It’s a boom because the 2nd year is probably what got him here. The 2nd year is not going to keep the Mets from doing anything heading into 2015. A third year perhaps would have been an issue, but not a 2nd. He gives the Mets a veteran arm, a guy who has proven success and allows them to not rush up any of their kids. Do I love the PED past? No, but I can’t change it either and I assume he was tested more than once last year and nothing came of it. Now you have three kids in Familia, Mejia, and Montero – all probably grew up knowing and watching Bartolo Colon and all will have a chance to be with him every step of the way during Spring Training. The benefit to having Colon in a Mets uniform has potential to trickle down, which makes this an even better move.
Tom W. – It’s 50/50 that he’s on the DL by Memorial Day. But he does have upside as a veteran pitcher. The guy I’m most worried about in the rotation is Zack Wheeler, Year II. Everything else is probably a known quantity.
Barry – Boom. I think best case, Colon emulates Santana with a few brilliant games, most times going 6+ innings, turning it over to the bullpen and hoping for the best and a few clunkers. He could break down at any time, but you could say that of most pitchers whether they are 20 or 40. Worth the gamble.
John G. – This is a tricky question. I have been doing nothing but thinking about this signing since it happened. My initial reaction was one of disbelief. $10 mil per season for a 40-year old former PED user is a lot and not deserving. I don’t like rewarding players that have been found guilty of something the league is trying to get rid of for good. Another positive test result gets him a 100-game suspension. Risky. I will give this a “Boom” because I think it can help but I also think it has the ability to blow up in our face.
Joe S. – This is one of those deals that will exactly be either boom or bust. I always cringed seeing his delivery, with all that stress on his forearm. But in spite of his odd delivery and his less than svelte physique, the man gets results. Will he win 18 games next year, most likely not but he gives the staff a veteran presence it hasn’t had since Johan was healthy. At 10 million a year for two years it’s a risk no doubt, but such is life in professional sports. I’m glad the Mets are finally putting their big boy pants on and making choices
Matthew B. – If he’s healthy, and I believe he will be for at least a good portion of 2014, it’s a boom. On the other hand, if he eats too many sausage and pepper heroes, that would be bad… that would be a bust.
Tommy R. – Boom. Bartolo should be able to fill in nicely this year for Matt Harvey. I’m not sure how good he will be next season (or this season, really) but I like his chances and it was a very fair deal financially.
Xtreem – Hardly a bust, but maybe not a boom, either. I don’t know if it’s fair to expect him to be a top-ten pitcher in the league again, but unless he injures himself, he’ll be very good. So long as he pitches, he’ll pitch well. And the deal was great when you consider what inferior pitchers were getting.
TexasGus – Well, would have liked one year, but they weren’t getting him for just one. Interestingly, Colon throws in the high 90s but his K rate was only 5.5 per nine innings. Means he probably does the conservation thing that Harvey and Wheeler have embraced.
Jim M. – Gotta say boom. Coming off his year last year should give him the confidence along with a better Mets offense than we saw last year. Next year Harvey should be back as well as their other pitchers should be ready too so I see him in a smaller role if he is even in the team besides helping the younger guys.
Gerry – Two years for Colon maybe an overpay, but maybe not. In this day and age, the price tag for starters keeps rising. We have to hope that the front office has done its homework. I would expect that the A’s connection doesn’t hurt as far as getting a true read on his abilities and durability. I say boom.
Big Mets Fan – Boom. The team probably would have been better off not going the second year, but by going the two, it strengthens the rotation for 2014, allows the younger guys to develop, and adds the depth to allow the team to go to a six man rotation and keep Zack Wheeler pitching the whole season if they’re not in the chase. The second year also allows for more recovery time for Matt Harvey in year two and if he busts then, it’s not like we have him for a third.
Andrew – Boom, but even if I’m wrong, it’s not a bad deal. The beauty of the Colon deal is that we paid him for what seems like the worst case scenario: even if his ERA from last year doubles, that’s still a passable back-of-the-rotation arm, and $10 million a year is a typical back-of-the-rotation price. He probably won’t have an fWAR of 4 or an ERA of 2.65 again, but even with regression he could still be our 2nd or 3rd best pitcher (especially considering he’s moving to a more pitcher friendly park in a more pitcher friendly league). That bumps Dillon Gee down to 4 and Jenrry Mejia down to 5, where they should be, and gives us plenty of depth with Noah Syndergaard, Rafael Montero and Jacob deGrom waiting in the wings. You can never have too much pitching.
So it looks like the Booms have it and by a wide margin…
9 – Boom
3 – Bust
3 – Undecided
I myself, tabbed this a boom for the Mets when the signing went down. The two years were necessary to seal this deal, and the Mets got it done. I won’t complain about that. In fact I’ve been waiting and complaining five years to see the Mets show some brass ones. I’m not gonna bitch about it when they finally do. The fans have spoken… This is a Sonic Boom…
