Fun-loving old man Bartolo Colon could be perfect addition to Washington Nationals

By Michael Natelli |

If the Washington Nationals did anything on Saturday, perhaps it was reminding themselves how critical pitching is to their success.

For those who don’t already know, Nationals ace Max Scherzer threw his second no-hitter of the season against the New York Mets on Saturday, helping end a rough season for Washington on a high note. May this is showing how much being a Nationals fan has gotten to me this season, but the afterthoughts I’ve had since watching the final out of that performance have been “man, the Nats really need Bartolo Colon next year.”

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Colon didn’t pitch Saturday, though he did pick up a win against Scherzer back on Opening Day this season. He’s been solid for New York this year, going 14-13 with a 4.18 ERA in 193.2 innings. But with the Mets boasting more young arms than their starting rotation can hold, the 42-year-old appears unlikely to be brought back next season despite his desire to continue pitching. If the Mets don’t want him, the Nationals should swoop in and pick him up.

Washington seems likely to lose the likes of Jordan Zimmermann and Doug Fister this offseason, and it’s unclear whether the club plans to insert Tanner Roark back into the starting rotation full-time in 2016. Rookie Joe Ross impressed in his first few big-league starts, but struggled down the stretch and could end up starting next season in the high minors to work out some kinks before returning to the big leagues.

So without Roark and Ross, that leaves Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez as the only three arms that can be pencilled into the 2016 starting rotation entering the winter. Top prospects Lucas Giolito and A.J. Cole both seem primed to contribute to the club at some point next year, as could Austin Voth, though all three will also likely need varying levels of time in the minor leagues prior to getting the call.

Enter Bartolo Colon, who at what will be 43 years of age, seems poised to land a one-year contract and has had success in the National League East over the past two seasons. Washington will have to spend money filling holes in the bullpen, the bench and perhaps center field, though they have enough money coming off the books where a one-year contract ranging from $8-11 million for Colon should be able to fit into the budget.

While Colon may not be the dominating force on the mound that Scherzer or Strasburg is, he’ll provide the Nationals with consistency, a low walk rate, innings, and a fun guy to rally around. For a seemingly endless list of reasons, his Mets teammates love him: He does behind-the-back throws to first base, takes pregame fielding practice at shortstop, his at-bats are a joy to watch, and he’s also the subject of fantastic t-shirts.

There are less reports about just how much Colon actually acts as a “clubhouse guy,” but he’s clearly capable of being a galvanizing personality on a playoff team. And he can pitch, pitch well, and pitch on what should be an affordable contract that will expire just in time for one of Washington’s top young prospects to take his place. As I wrote last week, the Nationals need a culture change, and Colon seems to be the perfect player to spark it.

And by the way, the organization already gave up Cliff Lee, Brandon Phillips and Grady Sizemore to get him back for half a season back in 2002. So he still needs to provide them a little more value before they can call it even with the Cleveland Indians.

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