New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman signed another ex-superstar to a minor-league deal, ex-Angels–White Sox–Red Sox pitcher Bartolo Colon.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that Colon will earn $900K in the majors and has the right to be released if he isn’t on the team after Spring Training.
Is Cashman really this desperate?
In 2005, Colon won the AL CY Young award, but has since completely imploded, both physically and mentally.
The following three seasons, 2006-2009, Colon had 14 wins in 47 starts, one complete game, allowed 44 balls to go yard, only had 172 strikeouts and pitched a total of 226 innings.
You might remember Colon back in 2008, when the Red Sox were the only ones interested in signing the overweight pitcher, who stood at 5’11″ and tipped the scale at 245 lbs.
Making seven starts for Boston, the injury-prone Colon found himself back on the DL again.
Colon then left Boston for his home in the Dominican Republic to tend to personal issues and never returned. The reason given was, “He didn’t feel like it.”
Colon’s attitude is why no team wanted him in the first place; add that to all the injuries and that, my friend, is the definition of being unreliable.
By no means am I trying to erase how talented Colon used to be, but since he took home pitching’s biggest honor, he has been a mess.
The last time Colon pitched on a major league mound was back on July 24, 2009.
The reality is that acquiring a self-proclaimed reformed hazard is the last thing the Yankees should want to waste their time on.
It would seem like Cashman’s on some ego filling mission by trying to look like a genius GM coming out of Spring Training.
Cashman is banking that one of the smug, injured, either mentally or physically, washed-up players he signed for pennies will become legitimate player again.
Well, this makes me officially question Cashman’s intentions for the 2011 Yankees. Spring Training is going to look like Old Timers Day.
What is Cashman’s next move?
Rumor has it Cashman is interested in re-signing Skipper Joe Girardi to play and manage, killing two birds with one stone.
That is a joke, but in all seriousness GM Brain Cashman might need a head-check.
What strikes me as odd is that MLB teams repeatedly fail to learn from others’ mistakes.
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