Over the weekend, the Texas Rangers released Bartolo Colon in what was regarded as a paper move, a way around the retention fee.
Monday confirmed that perception, as Colon re-signed with the Rangers:
#Rangers says Bartolo Colon, Trevor Plouffe agree to minor-league deal. Colon doesn’t need to be on MLB roster until April 2.
— Jeff Wilson (@JeffWilson_FWST) March 26, 2018
Bartolo Colon is going to start April 2 at Oakland barring something unforeseen. #Rangers
— Jeff Wilson (@JeffWilson_FWST) March 26, 2018
The plan appears to be for Colon to start against the Oakland Athletics on April 2. That represents the Rangers' fifth game of the season. It could also represent Colon's last game with Texas.
Martin Perez is expected to return from the disabled list a few days later, at which point the Rangers will have to decide whether they want to roll with a six-man rotation. (It's worth noting that staff ace Cole Hamels has been an outspoken critic of the idea.) If not, Colon would seem to be the low man on the totem pole. Were Colon to be waived, he could make sense as an option for the pitching-needy San Francisco Giants, as our Mike Axisa floated earlier Monday.
Colon, 45 in May, is coming off a horrible season that saw him post a 6.48 ERA across 28 starts split between the Atlanta Braves and Minnesota Twins. He's reportedly hoping to win six more big-league games in order to top Dennis Martinez (245) for the most by a Latin-born pitcher.
