Bartolo Colon. If you know baseball, you know him. Former AL Cy Young, AL All-Star, and NL All-Star hasn’t thrown a pitch in the majors since 2018.
The question has to be asked: Is a return for Big Sexy in the near future?
Colon’s most known moment in the league is almost undisputed: his first and only Major League home run. In 2016, Bartolo took San Diego’s James Shields deep on a fastball in Petco Park. Consequently, it can be said that the New York Mets’ fanbase shows more love to Colon than any other in baseball.
With new owner, Steve Cohen, many believe that anything is possible this offseason for the Mets. It is important to remember that Cohen is not viewing his ownership as an investment, but rather a team that he wants to not only see win, but win now. Cohen has said and done many things to please fans since his purchase. Most notably, Cohen has constantly been interacting with fans on Twitter; and has said many times he is prioritizing winning no matter how much it costs. This is music to all Mets fans’ ears, including myself, as the past owners, the Wilpon family, was not willing to spend on players.
Not only has Cohen stated how much he wants to win, but he also has put an emphasis on the fans; saying that they are the customer, and they need to be pleased. Colon has posted videos of him throwing in a Mets jersey to many social media platforms. This, many assume, was a strong nudge at the Mets organization to “go get him”. Colon’s personality has always boosted morale for not only the fans, but players as well. No players seem to have had a problem with him in the past, which is always a positive.
While making people happy is always a good thing to do, there is more than a personality needed for a player to sign. With the Mets’ pitching rotation is looking great after Marcus Stroman accepted his qualifying offer and rumors of mutual interest between Trevor Bauer and the Mets, there would most likely not be a spot for Colon in the starting five, which is where he is accustomed to playing. Instead, he would be a bullpen arm, which would suit him better due to his older age in comparison to the rest of the league.
Even though money is not as much of a factor anymore for the Mets, Colon would most likely accept a deal near the league minimum, which would be great since it would allow Cohen to spend more on the loaded free agent class this year.
Is Colon’s time in the league over? Or is a Big Sexy return inevitable?
Image: MMO
