Rejoice, baseball fans. The 46-year-old Bartolo Colon isn’t ready to call it a career, Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com recently told MLB Network (video link beginning at the 6:20 mark). The right-hander’s hoping to sign a minor league contract and make his way back to the majors, according to Sanchez, who adds that Colon has offers from teams in Mexico and could consider heading to Japan if nothing materializes elsewhere. Either way, Colon’s focused on pitching in 2020, so the four-time All-Star and one-time Cy Young winner won’t be retiring just yet.
Colon didn’t pitch at all in the majors or minors last season, and he struggled mightily with the Braves, Twins and Rangers from 2017-18. Those factors seem to make it all the more unlikely that Colon will ever get back to the majors again. He has revived his career in the past, however.
Colon’s time in the league appeared to be up until he signed a minor league contract with the Yankees in 2011, leading to a personal renaissance. He wound up throwing 150-plus innings that season and each of the next five with both New York teams and the Athletics, combining for a 3.63 ERA/3.71 FIP with the game’s fourth-lowest walk rate among starters (1.46 per nine).
The fact that Colon went through a rebirth years ago obviously doesn’t mean he’ll enjoy the same fate in 2020 as he nears his 50s. That said, plenty of fans are surely rooting for the aged Colon to re-emerge as a viable MLB pitcher this season.
What’s his fastball velocity?
Is he playing for cheeseburgers and beer?
Sure make fun of him but he can pitch better than you.
Some people are always looking for the negatives!!
Bragging rights. With a game where so much value is derived from stats, going the longest is another form of winning.
Sure make fun of him but he can pitch better than you.
Sure make fun of him but he can pitch better than you.
Yea, but to be fair my cat can pitch about as well as I can.
Sure make fun of him but he can pitch better than you.
So you’re saying he can pitch better than him?
You can say that again. Lol
Boy oh boy, I’ll say.
I give this post rave reviews
It’s certainly a diamond in the rough
Lmao
Pete O’Brien!!
If he’s playing for brats and beer, the Brewers have room for him on their staff
Nice !
@Dixon Miss probably about the same as his age
Colon will probably still be throwing 86 mph two-seamers until he’s 60.
He won’t live that long. If a heart attack doesn’t get him, he will be taken out by some amateur villain while spending time in his native Dominican Republic.
Fan Graphs has him at 89 in 2018.
Years old?
Bwahahaha!
Eheheh RH
His fastball? He throws it 84-92, up, down, on the edges and never straight. If he could add a knuckle ball, it would be hysterical to watch today’s all or nothing hitters walk back to the dugout wondering what just happened.
If Boston can find a salary dumpster, *cough*, trade partner for David Price, maybe Tim Wakefield can teach it to Colon. It could seriously keep him around until he’s in his 50s.
best news ever
Big Sexy can’t retire it’s not allowed
This
This is fun. It is the real life version of trying to stick around in your mid 40s on MLB The Show….In all seriousness, it would be fun to see Bartolo pitch well in the Bigs this year. However, I do not see that as the likely outcome.
he should get a medical checkup first considering the size of his belly!
He can’t retire – there are too many buffets left for him to try.
Haha nice
Pirates, we literally have nothing to lose by giving him a starting job. NOTHING
Baseball games?
Those baseball games have already been lost. Best to lose some of them in style.
Is your username an obscure Simpsons reference?… Finally, someone who might understand my Gudger College t-shirt.
I would love to see “big sexy” in Pittsburgh! He can probably take teach a thing or two to these young guys.
Angels need pitching too. He may be able to stabilize their rotation, especially given the injuries they went through last year.
I’d rather give starts to young guys and determine what we have moving forward. Archer, Musgrove, Williams, Keller, Kuhl seems like a reasonable 5. Or sign another upside arm with an eye on flipping at the deadline.
Kuhl should be moved to the bullpen. He is just coming off of TJ surgery and has better stuff out of the pen.
Watch him go to Japan and be god-tier
In baseball or sumo?
::slow clap::
I’m drinking White Claws and am too lazy to look it up, but I’m sure Big Sexy’s Cy Young year rates as one of the worst ever. Oh well, go Bartolo!
You’ve had too many “White Claws”.
Dude just admotted he drinks White Clawz
Shorty, if u don’t drink white claws ur crazy! That stuff is great!
“that’s why I drink boiled scotch with sawdust and nails, a REAL MAN’S DRINK” -shortytallz
Today’s Cy Young Awards are a joke… DeGromme wins 21 games in 2 years & walks away with 2 Cy Youngs?
I’m a Yankees fan but degrom has been the best pitcher in baseball the last two years. Win/Loss record is irrelevant.
Balkmove, are you on drugs. Degrom has single handily been the best or second best pitcher in all of baseball for two years. I love that wins are your deciding factor in the pitcher of the year award. Wow.
@balkmove69 – pitcher wins are by far the dumbest stat in all of professional sports. Why does a single player get a stat for a “win” in a team game when there’s 26 players on the team who all could play a part, as well as managers, umpires, ballparks all factoring in?
The second relief pitchers were invented they should have ditched that stat. Pitcher W-L has been absolutely worthless this entire time and only has prevented elite pitchers on bad teams from winning awards and going into the HOF. No other reason. 20 wins don’t mean anything, Phil Niekro proved that when he went 21-20 lol
The W-L stat for pitchers is so unbelievably stupid that a pitcher could throw 35 complete games with 1 run given up, have an ERA of 1.00 and be 0-35. You think that means he’s bad at pitching? His ERA is literally 1.00. Stop holding on to the lies of the past.
You’re actually right. Looking at his Cy Young year in a vacuum, it looks awful other than the 21 wins, but if you then look at all the rest of the top pitchers that year, it’s pretty amazing how bad of a year it was for all pitchers. If you look at the SPs with 30 or more starts that year, Johan Santana and Kevin Millwod were the only ones with an ERA under 3, and that list has some huge names like Randy Johnson, Zack Greinke , Cliff Lee, Mike Mussina, CC Sabathia, with these guys having mid 3 to mid 4 ERAs. I guess that was just the reality in 2005 – aka one of the final yrs of the Steriod Era.
Yup, Santana got absolutely hosed that year. He definitely should have 3 Cy Youngs. Just like the Pedro/Zito 2002 debacle. They really need to make awards more stat-based other than “pitcher wins” and “suck up to writers”-based.
Off topic: does Santana get into the HOF? His career got derailed by that shoulder injury but he still has over 50 WAR and won a Triple Crown. He also probably could have had a 4th Cy in his first year with the Mets too, but the writers got too obsessed with Lincecum, who probably was a little better, but it would not have been as bad a Zito over Pedro. Not even close.
Johan for the HOF, if Kirby Puckett is in, Johan should be.
Actually, he went 21-8 as a #1 on a division winner tossing over 220 innings. He even collected 32 mvp votes.
Dipoto, WHERE YOU AT!? Give this guy a shot and sign Taijuan.
Amen. What would they have to lose?
My O’s need warm bodies.
I am so sick of this guy and the fan-fare he gets. He isn’t good anymore and would hurt a team more than help them. Hang ‘em up, old man!
Because you’re a complete loser that couldn’t even make your JV team? Sit down loser.
Troll much?
Well… boo-hoo.
How is 46 “old”? What a disrespectful and ageist comment. Fans on MLBTR don’t get to tell a Major League player when to “hang them up”.
I believe someone just did.
“Ageist”? Your comment makes me realize I’m a hypersensitive-ist.
Lmao! 46 is old, its time to look in the mirror, Sid. YOU ARE OLLLLLD!!!!
It’s because it gives all the fans that have a similar physical build hope that they somehow could’ve made it to the majors lol. Bartolo is done, and I refuse to call him by that made up nickname.
It would take over two and a half million bowls of your oat bran cereal to equal the fiber content of one bowl of Super Colon Blow.
Is any nickname not made up?
The Fonz…that was given at birth through divine intervention. No one made it up, it just happened, man!
It’s because it gives all the fans that have a similar physical build hope that they somehow could’ve made it to the majors lol. Bartolo is done, and I refuse to call him by that made up nickname.
What nickname isnt made up?
Some real geniuses post comments here….smh
Why try when it’s so much easier to give up?
Atta boy! Be a human clown shoe to the end, Twins guy.
You would have a point if he hasn’t had multiple career-resurgences. You probably said the exact same thing about him in 2010 too, and you were wrong then as well. So stop being wrong? Let the man live!
Say it ain’t so Bartolo?
He rhymed those words and was not even aware of it.
If anyone follows him on Instagram, this was obvious.
Yes, both of his followers already knew about this
That’s a relief. I hope he pitches up to his 50s.
One of the all time great Indians. 1999 might have been the greatest playoff showing by a starter other than perhaps Kluber in 2016 (before game 7 grrrrr)
Marlins let’s go
must have run out of roids
This is the ace the angels have been waiting for all offseason.
I hope he signs with a team. So I can read the comments on here about what a great move it is with a low risk/high reward lolll.
Sluggish move with low center of gravity/high cholesterol.
Its time Bartolo…to put on a Friars uni
Its time Bartolo…to put on a Friars uni
This Colon stinks.
Eppler is all over it.
He must have increased his PED intake.
Fat cheater should retire.
This is your life.
Go over seas then… lol …. play as long as you want, but mlb career is prob over. His longevity of his career and desire not to stop playing kinda makes you wonder if he’s broke ….
Overseas*
New England’s looking for a QB…
Jays
Unpopular opinion: The guy used PEDS, why root for a cheater to make a comeback?
… can’t make a comeback if you’ve never left. Also, he’s obese, that makes it all charming. I wish the guy well.
I agree. But many people love schlubby pro athletes. Same with Phil Kessel in hockey.
And Glen Big Baby Davis who was in the NBA
Worst nickname for an athlete ever…”Big Baby.”
Once again, PED’s are not cheating. They do not help you play baseball better. Period. Ever. ESPN lied to you and you bought into that phony narrative. The NFL and NBA don’t care about 90% of the things that are banned in MLB.
Strike4, I’m assuming you didn’t play baseball. The common PEDs were amphetamines (greenies) and steroids. Greenies sped up your heart rate and heightened your senses, alertness, aggression, and reaction time. Think of shotgunning 5 Red Bulls at one time. Most guys did greenies; they were super common and unlike steroids, were taken openly (clubhouses often mixed them in their coffee pots).
…
Steroid use was much less advertised but if you’ve ever taken batting practice with a guy before and (weeks later) after he’s taken steroids, you’d see the difference with your own eyes. Bat speed and exit velocity are definitely increased. Recovery time for pitchers was lessened and guys could pick up MPG on their velo.
…
I was a collegiate player in the 90s and saw and heard all sorts of stories as players advanced through the minors and into the majors. I’m not here to out anyone, but I think us baseball fans need to acknowledge it as part of the history of the game, the sport addressed it as best they could, and move on…
@dirkg I played semi-pro and college and have been obsessed with the game my entire life. I know all about greenies (speed/meth), and roids. You wasted all those words writing things I already knew. PED’s only helped players who were already good (unlike you) stay healthy and play well.
“if you’ve ever taken batting practice with a guy before and (weeks later) after he’s taken steroids, you’d see the difference with your own eyes. Bat speed and exit velocity are definitely increased.” – this is an outright lie. Grow up. What a weird troll.
No way you played with those comments.
Internet Tough Guy. Semi-pro = adult beer league. LOL.
Go for it Bro
Red Sox could use a 5th starter. He can’t be worse than Porcello was.
Who wouldn’t want to see him keep pitching, even if in the minors? He would be a great mentor for the young guys coming up. He doesn’t have to be awesome to serve that purpose.
This is a straight up Orioles move right there, 20 years behind the curve
This news genuinely made me happy! I can’t wait lol
The Padres should consider signing him! Daddy Bartolo drops bombs at Petco! Lol
Baseball needs all the Bartolo it can get.
I lovenit when you call me Big Sexy!
Colon’s nickname should be Toad the Fat Sprocket because, you know, he looks like a fat human toad.
So, you guys are saying you want MLB’s Colon removed?
Bartolo is great, but my personal favorite “he’s still playing?” guy is LEW FORD!
He’s 43, has not been in MLB since 2007, but has played 10 straight years with the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic league, his slash line last year during his age 42 season was .303/.354/.414 over 322 PA! He was one teammates with the now-62 year old Jesse Orosco!
True love of the game superstar, as are all these guys in their 40s are….
For whatever it’s worth… He’s played 10 total, not consecutive, seasons for the Ducks and played a bit for the Orioles in 2012.
I loved Orosco when he was on the Orioles 25 years ago! I could go take a leak before he wound up and come back to my seat before the pitch hit the catchers mitt.
It wouldn’t hurt the Twins to give “Big Sexy” a minor league contract.
The Big Sexy likes being around his female fans,
I hope he plays forever.
He shouldn’t start anymore but you know your team has worse options out of the ‘pen.
At 46 years old, I could have thrown an 89 mph FB from a vehicle doing 100 mph.
I don’t get the silly hate for this guy. Baseball is entertainment, period. Colon entertains.
wish he would retire
Rather sign Colon then Edwin Jackson last year
What happened to the person Turner overdrive is he strike four?
Colon throws strikes. Guys know what is coming and sets gets them to miss. Harder time facing batters multiple times with his current velocity and lack of secondary out pitches. I could see him out the bullpen. Everyone else is throwing gas. He would be a different look.
Not gonna lie…I LUV this guy(Felix could learn a thing or 2 from Bartolo about adjusting to loss of velocity btw…LOL) Bartolo was a 4-time All-star during his career, in his Age 25, 32, 40 and 43 seasons….That’s pretty amazing, man!
He stopped juicing! Still a baseball treasure.
I dont get all the love for Colon. Had a secret family aside of his wife and then doesnt pay child support… great guy
Colon’s decision is reminiscent of Steve Carlton playing for the White Sox, Indians and Twins at the tail end of his career. He was obviously way past his prime, got hammered on every start, and probably just did it for the money.
Hang it up, Bartolo. Get a coaching job or something.
Is it true he’s currently rehabbing from his gastric bypass surgery?
Cubs will pick him up
That would be great! Colon could put a few out on windy days at wrigley. Must see the bartolo homerun trot!
Yanks could use him mid rotation .
He could be a decent short-relief option.
He could have value as a reliever, but starter no way.
King Felix should go to a setup or closer role. Might extend his career 4 yrs.
Hot stove is burning up with this news! Let the bidding begin! We will start at 5yrs 220m to get things rolling. Teams are calling!
Dodgers need relief help. 3 year 45 mil.