Bartolo Colon Reportedly Agrees to Minor League Contract with Rangers

Veteran starting pitcher Bartolo Colon will look to pitch in his 21st MLB season in 2018 after agreeing to a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers.

John Blake, the Rangers executive vice president of communications, confirmed Colon will have an invitation to Texas' spring training.

"Bartolo brings a track record of durability and success in the major leagues," Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said, per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Jeff Wilson. "He pounds the strike zone and provides quality competition for our rotation. Welcome to Texas, Big Sexy!"

The 44-year-old Colon split 2017 between the Atlanta Braves and Minnesota Twins, finishing with a 7-14 record to go along with a career-worst 6.48 ERA and 1.59 WHIP.

Colon started the campaign in Atlanta, where he went 2-8 with an 8.14 ERA, and while he improved in Minnesota, his numbers were still mediocre (5-6, 5.18 ERA).

One thing Colon is capable of even at his advanced age is eating innings, as he tossed 143 of them last season. In each of the previous four campaigns, the Dominican Republic native threw at least 190 innings.

Colon, a four-time All-Star and 2005 American League Cy Young Award winner, isn't far removed from one of the most productive seasons of his career.

In 2016, Colon went 15-8 with a 3.43 ERA and helped the New York Mets reach the playoffs.

Colon enjoyed the bulk of his success early in his career with the Cleveland Indians, but he has also had stints with the Montreal Expos, Los Angeles Angels, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees and Oakland Athletics.

According to Baseball Reference, Colon had an FIP of 3.99 or lower in each season from 2011 through 2016. That ballooned to 5.21 last season, but that number was significantly lower than his 6.48 ERA, which suggests he was the victim of some bad luck.

It is difficult to say how much Colon has left, but he is a fairly low-risk signing since there isn't much financial or term commitment being made.

The Rangers can monitor Colon closely during spring training and keep him on a short leash if he makes the team and struggles early in the regular season.

Colon has enjoyed some strong seasons past the age of 40, and while it is possible he has finally hit the wall, he will have one more chance to prove he can still be a valuable commodity.