You would be hard pressed to find much excitement surrounding the New York Mets this summer given the way their 2017 season has unfolded in disastrous fashion.
But on Thursday, there has been a glimmer of hope in the form of a pudgy pitcher that could very well make his return to Queens.
Veteran pitcher Bartolo Colon became a free agent after an extremely difficult first half with the Atlanta Braves, the team he signed with after three magical seasons with the Mets.
In 13 starts this season, the 44-year-old Colon went 2-8 with an 8.14 ERA, allowing 66 runs (57 earned) in just 63 innings.
It’s a sudden fall from grace from his tenure with the Mets. During his time at Citi Field, Colon developed into one of the most beloved Mets in franchise history, going 44-34 with a 3.90 ERA.
While he isn’t an example of physical fitness, Colon at times was the only starter that was able to stay healthy on an injury-riddled team that relied heavily on their bullpen at times.
Last season was Colon’s finest in New York, going 15-8 and helping lead the team to a National League Wild Card Game berth.
He also provided one of the most memorable moments in recent MLB history as the inept batter launched his first-career home run against the San Diego Padres:
A reunion with the Mets shouldn’t be out of the question.
The team is in dire need of pitching depth with Matt Harvey and Noah Syndergaard shelved due to injuries. New York has allowed the fourth-most runs per game this season at 5.3, a shocking stat given this is a team that was supposed to be reliant on its pitching.
Colon wouldn’t necessarily be a remedy for that number, but he could at least eat some innings, take some stress off the bullpen and put butts in the seats at Citi Field to generate some excitement.
