Here’s Why Bartolo Colon was Huge Mistake
The headline and this post may seem poorly timed because of the performance by Bartolo Colon Monday. But Colon himself is not doing anything wrong. No, it was Sandy Alderson who made the huge mistake by signing Colon in the first place.
There are multiple reports that the Mets are “trying hard” to trade Bartolo Colon before Thursday’s deadline. That alone shows that Alderson blundered in signing him. After all, why would you be trying so hard to deal a guy who just signed for two years?
The answer is because Colon was never necessary. If Alderson had any balls at all he would have rolled the dice on the young pitching that he himself has cultivated. And the second year was absolutely asinine; Colon will definitely not be needed in 2015, especially at $11 million. Don’t forget, the Mets were the only team to offer Colon a second year.
At the time of the signing, many people said, “oh, we can just trade him and get prospects.” Signing a player with the intent of trading him is the height of stupidity.
If Alderson cannot trade Bartolo Colon and the Mets are on the hook for the $11 million, that means the money cannot be spent on a much-needed bat, leaving the Mets offense weak for another season. Alderson said he did not want to saddle the Mets with Omar Minaya-type contracts. Well guess what, he just did.