The Minnesota Twins have signed right-handed pitcher Bartolo Colon to a minor league deal. He is 44 years old, the same age as former Twins pitcher Brad Radke, and is the final remaining Montreal Expo remaining in the major leagues.
"When he came off the roster he certainly had garnered some interest from a handful of clubs and we chatted with his agent about potentially providing pitching depth for us," said Twins chief baseball officer Derek Falvey. "We feel like, certainly, with some of our needs at the back of the rotation and otherwise that we felt, ‘Let’s get him in, get him on a minor-league deal, get him a chance to pitch down in Rochester and we’ll see from there.'"
The Twins are expected to call up Colon soon:
"We just want to make sure he's a good place and ready to go. His last outing was June 28, so it's been a while since he's faced live hitters," said Falvey. "We just want to make sure he gets back and make sure everything feels right before we make the decision to come up here."
Colon began his career in 1997 as a 24-year-old with the Cleveland Indians and made 17 starts with the Expos in 2002. He was an All-Star in 1998, the same year as Radke, as well as in 2005 (when he also won the Cy Young), 2013 and last season.
“That’s one of the things that attracted us to him. He’s one of those guys who’s reinvented himself a number of times throughout his career," said Falvey. "He was a guy who relied almost exclusively on velocity at a much younger age and has now learned how to pitch more effectively at a lower velocity rate.
"We felt like they were some signals that the stuff was similar to what it had been in year’s past, but maybe a little bit unlucky -- strand rates, ball-in-play rates -- we felt like the stuff was similar to what it had been and this was an opportunity to bring in a guy who’s been really successful the past couple of seasons and has had a tough start this year."
And even at 44, Colon feels that he's got a few years left in him.
"He’s a guy who think about the entirety of his career, he was a big swing and miss guy. To reinvent yourself and be the command he has and get swings and misses with the deception he has, a lot of guys can’t do that," said Falvey.
"I know he wants to pitch more than just the rest of this year. He loves baseball. That’s been relayed to us for sure. He’s looking at this as an opportunity. He had a bump early in the year, but he’s ready to get back on the horse."
Briefly
Falvey was asked about Indians manager Terry Francona, who will not manage the All-Star Game due to a heart procedure, but is expected to be back with Cleveland when play resumes in second half.
"It’s something that’s certainly been on my mind, and he and I have chatted, it sounds like he’s in a good place and hopefully will be back here soon," said Falvey. "I know it was scary for me when I heard about it, and chatted with him. He’s in great spirits, so I know he’ll return to the dugout pretty quickly."
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