New York Mets: Bring back Bartolo Colon

The New York Mets need pitching depth. Bartolo Colon is available. It is time for a reunion to take place.

Bartolo Colon is not ready to hang up the spikes and enjoy the grill in the backyard. The seemingly ageless strike-throwing wonder had expressed his desire to return to the majors, and was committed to working his way back for one more season. He had signed with Acereros de Monclova in the Mexican League, hoping to use that as a springboard to get back to the majors.

Then the pandemic happened, shutting everything down. The Mexican League decided not to open their doors on the 2020 season, leaving those players without a team. In theory, Colon is free to sign wherever he would be wanted.

Enter the New York Mets. Heading into the season, they appeared to have plenty of depth, having signed Rick Porcello and Michael Wacha to one year deals. When Noah Syndergaard was lost for the year due to Tommy John surgery, those signings seemed prescient.

Now Marcus Stroman is essentially week to week with a calf injury and is on the Injured List. This leaves Casey Oswalt, Erasmo Ramirez, and David Peterson as the options to replace Stroman. While Brodie Van Wagenen says that he is not interested in going outside the organization for pitching help, that trio is not exactly going to inspire any confidence.

Colon is not the pitcher he once was. After departing the Mets as a free agent following the 2016 campaign, he bounced between the Braves, Twins, and Rangers. He posted a 14-26 record in that time, with a 6.13 ERA and a 1.465 WHiP over his 289.1 innings. He simply looks done.

But there is a chance that the Mets could catch lightning in a bottle. He did pitch well in his first nine appearances, allowing 17 runs, 16 earned, on 39 hits and four walks over his 51 innings. Colon struck out 32 batters as well, as his diet of fastballs worked to perfection.

If the Mets were to get that type of production from Colon, that would certainly work. And, in a short season, he would not have to worry about wearing down, giving him the perfect opportunity to end his career on a high note.

The New York Mets need pitching depth. Bartolo Colon needs a team. Maybe a reunion should happen.