Bartolo Colon is a Texas Ranger

The Texas Rangers have signed free agent pitcher Bartolo Colon to a minor league deal, according to John Blake on Twitter.

We talked about the rumors that the Rangers and Colon were in negotiations yesterday, and my view is the same as it was then — he’s a depth guy this spring on a minor league deal, he was a useful starting pitcher prior to his disastrous stint in Atlanta in 2017, and even in 2017, he was a replacement level performer in Minnesota after the Braves released him.

Colon will turn 45 in May, and there’s a good chance that he’s done, but with Martin Perez possibly starting the season on the disabled list due to a broken right elbow, and a variety of question marks surrounding the rotation anyway, there’s worse things than seeing if Colon has anything left. And if the Rangers truly are considering a six man rotation, that could potentially work in Colon’s favor, as he would have additional time to recuperate between starts as compared to a five man rotation (although his ERA was much worse in 2017 on long rest than on regular rest).

In any case, its a minor league deal. Get angry and rage about it if it makes you feel better, but it doesn’t likely impact anything else the Rangers are doing this offseason, and I wouldn’t expect Colon to be a significant factor in the Rangers’ rotation this year.

Per Evan Grant, Colon will make $1.75M if he makes the major league roster.