The Mets have placed starting pitcher Bartolo Colon on revocable waivers, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal tweets. Colon is in the first year of a two-year, $20MM deal that will pay him $11MM in 2015, so any team to claim him would risk being responsible for that salary. The Mets do, of course, retain the right to pull Colon back if any team claims him.
Exactly how teams will value Colon is unclear. He has performed fairly well this season, with a 3.85 ERA, 7.0 K/9 and an excellent 1.2 BB/9 in 161 1/3 innings so far, and seems, on the surface, to be worth his contract. He’s already 41, however, so some teams might view him with trepidation. One report last month indicated that the Mets would be willing to absorb about $2MM in salary if they traded Colon.
Besides the Mets, the team most obviously impacted by the news that Colon is on waivers is the Angels, who are looking for starting pitching after losing Garrett Richards to a season-ending injury. It’s unclear whether Colon will slip all the way to the Angels in the waiver process. As Rosenthal notes, he would have to pass through 28 teams before the Angels would have the chance to claim him. Given the likelihood that he would help a contending Angels team, that seems somewhat unlikely, but it’s not unheard of that Colon would make it that far — other contending teams passed on Marlon Byrd last year and allowed the Pirates to claim him, for example, even though Byrd didn’t have a significant salary.
Matt Mosher
He’ll never clear waivers.
calamityfrancis
unless the mets feel like the team that claims Bartolo really has a need for him, they will just led the team have him and his contract. I bet he goes all the way to the angels – and a potential deal is already in place. just my $.02
DarthMurph
I think so too. The Angels are the only team that really needs him.
calamityfrancis
Alderson is in a good place to deal with the Angels. Knowing that he might just give Bartolo away to shed the contract, no team will take the chance of getting stuck with him unless they really want him.
DarthMurph
I’d dump him if I was Sandy to whoever claims him if that’s all he can get. 11 million in extra payroll is worth more than Colon. A PTBNL would be nice, but I wouldn’t consider it a deal breaker.
calamityfrancis
I bet Sandy asks the moon, keeps him and ends up stuck with him next year. He’s so stubborn when it comes to trades.
TheTruth
When you look at what the Phillies got for Roberto Hernandez there is no way I’d let Colon go for free.
DarthMurph
Roberto Carmona isn’t under contract for next year.
TheTruth
The fact that Hernandez isn’t under contract makes it even more surprising that the Phillies got a solid little prospect and another PTBNL back for him. I don’t think $11 million is crazy for a #3 or #4 starter and he’s been plenty effective this year. My guess is that he gets claimed by somebody trying to block him from getting to the Angels with no intention of trading for him and Sandy pulls him back. There’s a lot of teams in the AL Wild Card race and they would all be better off if Colon was pitching in the NL.
chicothekid
It’s about time. I’ve been wondering when this would happen. If they would have done this immediately after the first trade deadline, he would probably have passed right through and they wouldn’t have to deal with anybody blocking a trade.
Henry Johnson
Now the fun begins. This is what we Mets fans do for fun…start daydreaming about some make-believe pie in the sky scenario that will never happen. The question for me isn’t whether or not he will clear waivers (he won’t), but whether or not the Mets will let him go and give the fans a bone by calling up Syndergaard or whether they can actually get something of value back for Colon.
chicothekid
Whether or not they get something useful back will depend on who picks him. If he drops to someone who actually needs him, we have them over a barrel because we don’t have to trade him. If, however, a team like the A’s pick him to block the Angels though, he’s not going anywhere.
Henry Johnson
I’m not going to assume that the A’s are only blocking Colon from the Angels. Hammel has not been good for them and Colon could arguably be an upgrade.
Dilip Sridhar 3
there is a money factor as well
Henry Johnson
$11MM for a #3 or #4 starter is a bargain in today’s MLB. It’s only a problem for teams that are bottom third in payroll like my Mets.
DarthMurph
It’s not an insignificant sum for most of the teams in question. The Angels, Ms, and Tigers don’t have unlimited spending money and 11 million will be a big hit on what they’ll be able to spend next year.
Henry Johnson
Unlimited spending no, bargain hunting?? Sure. They’d be in the business of that…especially since their rotations could use Colon for the end of this year and even in 2015.
DarthMurph
11 million for a 42 year old pitcher is not a bargain. It’s affordable, but it limits how you can spend the rest of your money.
Henry Johnson
Age is a number teams could care less about if he pitches in 2015 like he did this year.
DarthMurph
Yes, but it’s not something to ignore in 2014.
Henry Johnson
Oh they won’t ignore it, they’ll just look at the other numbers…like anything showing what he’s produced so far, and then they’ll value that more.
tesseract
mets are not in the bottom third in payrroll
Henry Johnson
Ummm…yes they are, especially after cutting payroll in season to like $82 or $83 MM.
Henry Johnson
Money is only a problem for the Mets. Most teams would pay that $11MM for a pitcher to give them those numbers. For example, he has already been worth $11.7MM according to fan graphs. Some people scoff at advanced metrics, but teams are using them more than ever…and that’s one of the bottom lines they’d be looking at with Colon.
calamityfrancis
You realize that the team that claims a player runs a strong risk of acquiring said player, right? If the A’s put in a block claim, the Mets can decide not to pull Colon back and the A’s would get Colon and be on the hook for his 11 million dollar salary next year. No way the A’s put in a block.
Henry Johnson
Unless they want him to replace Hammel, and Lester next year in the rotation??
calamityfrancis
It’s certainly possible but hard to see Beane spending that much on a guy that old…but its Beane so you never know.
Henry Johnson
Beane is evolving. I think he realizes they have a legit chance this year, so he’s going for it. But yeah, he’s just one of twenty-nine; all we need is one to be all-in and we’re good. I never saw the Pirates coming for Byrd last year…so there’s always the surprise team too.
RyĆ nWKrol
That would likely handcuff Billy Beane and the A’s next season.
Henry Johnson
Don’t think so. They have like $31MM in guaranteed salary next year. Plenty of room.
calamityfrancis
he fulfilled his purpose of being pretty decent this year. i’d just let him go and be rid of the contract rather than risk not being able to trade him in the off-season when teams have more SP options. the mets can call up one of several good prospects to take his place. they aren’t competing this season so it doesn’t really matter. they can use colon’s 11 million next year to go towards a hitter that they desperately need.
Henry Johnson
I think he still has value due to the injury history and tendency to get injured that our pitchers…and most pitchers experience. That said, I am not worried about getting rid of his contract. If the Mets want to, they can trade him. That salary for 2015 is is only onerous to the Mets and few others.
tesseract
This is what will happen. Colon will get claimed by “mystery team” mets will revoke him. Mets will feel like they pulled a trade
Henry Johnson
Haha. Wow.
Gumby65
If he slips to Dodgers, he can switch clubhouses with NYM in town… Fausto & Correia have been adequate but not going deep into games. He’ll never make it to Anaheim unclaimed, probaably not to LAD either.
tigsfan
I thought about that too, but I doubt he gets that far. Pittsburgh, St. Louis, and Milwaukee are some teams I would expect to claim him first…
JimEdmondsMVP
There’s no way STL claims Colon unless Waino is in for TJ Surgery 2 and Wacha suffers a major setback. Given how poorly Waino has pitched lately nothing with him would surprise me but Wacha seems to be on track for an early September return. Colon’s 11M next year is also extremely rich for a small market team like the Pirates.
RyĆ nWKrol
Just reminded me of when they did that in 1995, when re-acquiring Brett Butler from the Mets just before starting a game with them.
Tom 22
I actually wouldn’t be that upset if the Mets just let whoever claims him takes him. I think it’d be funny that way, tag you’re it we got our year of innings from him, lets plug Syndergaard in the rotation!
Dogger27
Angels fan have to realize that colon is not gonna be claim by the angels! Pretty sure he get claimed by a NL team before he reaches AL! After all, u really think the A’s will let the angels improve their starting pitching? Pretty sure the A’s will claim him before the angels since the As don’t to need to trade for colon!
calamityfrancis
Is Beane going to want Colon at 11 million dollars next year though? Cause that’s what would happen if he put in a claim.
section 34
I think the A’s will claim him. They’re all in, and they’re going to need starting depth next year anyway. But they have the 2nd best record in baseball and I don’t think he’ll get that far.
Beane would probably have signed Colon last offseason for one year, $11 million, but Colon wanted two years. A one-year contract won’t scare him. And everybody in Oakland’s front office and clubhouse loves Colon.
DarthMurph
Sandy can choose to let the A’s have him for free and there’s nothing they can do about it if they claim him.
RyĆ nWKrol
And then I wonder how much more difficult it would be for them to keep a competitive offense this offseason.
DarthMurph
I think that would probably have a bigger effect on the Tigers. The A’s seem to find all their gems in the bargain bin anyway, though an unnecessary 11 million dollar hit wouldn’t be good.
RyĆ nWKrol
And then the A’s handcuff themselves with a contract that could easily go bad next season when Colon is… 42? I think that’s how old he’ll be. Having traded Cespedes, Oakland will have a lot of work to do in the offseason to make sure their offense can still compete. And Colon’s contract would certainly make that very difficult for them. Beane is smarter than that. Although it would show some guts on his part. Borderline stupid though. As of right now the Angels are the only team that needs him and can afford to take on his contract. Block claims are common, yes. But much less common with a player making as much and as is as old as Bartolo Colon.
canikickit
I could see the Mariners make a play for him.
Captain America
Nicky? Kidding they already flipped him
section 34
Long before he gets to the Angels, I don’t see how he gets past Detroit and Seattle and maybe Baltimore.
DarthMurph
Detroit isn’t going to pay him 11 million next year to be the 4-5 starter.
tigsfan
It wouldn’t be out of the question that the Tigers trade him in the offseason (so the receiving team could get DP comp. for him)
TheTruth
I’d say that I have a better shot at getting a qualifying offer than Colon after next offseason. For the record, I hit .275 as a high school senior in 2008 and haven’t played since.
section 34
Detroit might be desperate right now, and the owner’s not getting younger.
DarthMurph
Unless Sanchez is out for the season, they will not be claiming Colon.
RyĆ nWKrol
Desperate for relievers. Not Bartolo Colon.
JacksTigers
Do not be surprised. They will still need a replacement for Scherzer and could consider trading Porcello while his value is up.
DarthMurph
Price was their replacement for Scherzer.
JacksTigers
But they traded somebody already in their rotation for him, so while you may have replaced the talent Scherzer has, you will still have a hole.
DarthMurph
They called up Ray, who is basically just as good as Smyly was for them.
JacksTigers
Well, that’s just flat out untrue.
Smyly- 3.42 ERA, 7.50 K/9, 2.48 BB/9, 1.22 WHIP, 3.76 FIP
Ray (AAA)- 3.72 ERA, 6.61 K/9, 3.72 BB/9, 1.47 WHIP, 3.97 FIP
Ray (MLB; 7 games, 6 starts)- 7.09 ERA, 6.08 K/9, 3.38 BB/9, 1.80 WHIP, 4.37 FIP
DarthMurph
Poor word choice on my part, but those Smyly numbers include his time with the Rays, which has been significantly better.
Ray and Smyly fulfill similar roles on the team. Colon would too except he’s much more expensive.
JacksTigers
Smyly with Tigers- 3.93 ERA, 7.60 K/9, 2.65 BB/9, 1.35 WHIP, 4.08 FIP
Smyly with the Tigers this year had numbers that are not far off from Ray’s numbers in AAA. Given that Ray has been horrendous in his time in the majors this year, I really can’t see how you can have him in the rotation for a team that is looking to win a World Series and may need to trade a guy like Porcello for a centerfielder in the offseason.
RyĆ nWKrol
There would still be a hole there, but they’re not plugging it with $11 million for a 41 year old Bartolo Colon. Especially when their bullpen is burning up fast on re-entry. They’d be crazy to do so. Or stupid. They need to spend that money on relievers.
MB923
Yeah but Verlander is struggling and dealing with arm problems too. Can’t hurt them to make a claim for him.
DarthMurph
It would if it precludes them from adequately handling offseason woes.
RyĆ nWKrol
It would hurt them because that kind of money could get them a lot of bullpen depth. Much like the $27 million the Angels are flushing down the toilet paying Vernon Wells and Joe Blanton to play golf would probably have them a rotation that could just shrug off the loss of Garrett Richards, and even more bullpen depth that would make them unstoppable.
RyĆ nWKrol
Tigers aren’t going to pay that much for another starter when they’re in dire need of decent relief pitching.
NoNeckWilliams
Just because ERA is more important than wins and losses doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t also provide wins and losses along with his other stats.
DarthMurph
Wins and losses aren’t particularly important on a team like the Mets unless his record was unusual.
NoNeckWilliams
All stats are worth knowing and even when they are all added together, they are insufficient in evaluating anyone.
DarthMurph
There’s plenty of stats that aren’t listed that worth knowing more than W-L. His FIP and WAR aren’t listed. Look it up if you care.
NoNeckWilliams
And you can ignore my posts if you don’t care.
DarthMurph
I do care about your post. You’re suggesting that a brief article include stats that you can look up yourself. Charlie’s job is harder than it looks.
section 34
Because on a site like Baseball Reference there’s no way you could find that yourself.
NoNeckWilliams
You can find all of the stats yourself…. what’s your point?
section 34
Well I was suggesting that if you are interested in a particular statistic that is not included in a 3-paragraph story … nah, wasting my time.
RyĆ nWKrol
Because from a statistical evaluation standpoint, wins and losses for pitcher are irrelevant when talking about run prevention from one player at one position out of nine, as well as not talking about offense/run support. The latter is where W-L is more relevant to the discussion, particularly Cliff Lee in 2012? Or was it last season that he didn’t record a win until something like June? Anyways, it’s only relevant when talking about run support and a little bit of defense. Plus, there’s a reason there are outbound links within online articles, not just for SEO purposes.
NoNeckWilliams
If sabermetrics explain it all, why are you guys shocked at who wins the WS almost every year?
NoNeckWilliams
Colon is also 11-10 in 23 starts with a very good 1.153 whip.
Maddog
Speaking as an Angels fan, I would imagine Texas or about 20 teams would block that waiver, just to piss off the Angels. I believe the other teams can block the waiver without actually signing him.
dave 39
Cardinals should claim him.. Send Masterson to the bullpen
Mikenmn
He’s old and expensive, but seems to still be able to pitch passably. If he’s let go for just his contract, with no return, that does call into question the Met’s strategy in both signing him, and not trading him for the best they could get before the trade deadline.
Out of place Met fan
I think the late hour deals hurt the Mets at that point. Price was the trophy that everyone looking for pitching so teams missed out on plan B.
Gland1
If teams missed out on plan B isn’t this another opportunity for them?
tesseract
I always laugh when they say “he will need to pass 28 teams”. Even though that is technically how waivers work, it is not that the player is offered in order to 29 teams. He is put “in waivers” and if multiple teams claim him it goes to the team with the worst record. Usually only one or two teams place a claim on a guy
Fone Malone
Do the Angels have any power hitting ss or lf to spare?
SeanE
Dumping Colon totally makes sense. There is question to whether the Mets would have room in the rotation for him next season.Plus we even get 11 million extra on the payroll which can be used to sign a bat in the lineup. if the Angels pay they can keep him.
Harvey
Wheeler
Syndergaard
De grom
NieseGeeMonteroMatz(midseason)
Bullpen
Familla
Mejjia
Black
Leadersditch
Mazzoni
Parnell