{"id":1795,"date":"2016-11-11T15:42:05","date_gmt":"2016-11-11T20:42:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonbaseball.com\/?p=1795"},"modified":"2016-11-11T22:35:04","modified_gmt":"2016-11-12T03:35:04","slug":"braves-bartolo-colon-agree-to-1-year-deal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2016\/11\/11\/braves-bartolo-colon-agree-to-1-year-deal\/","title":{"rendered":"Atlanta Braves, Bartolo Colon Agree to 1-Year Deal"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Friday, the Atlanta Braves<\/strong> signed 43-year old right-handed pitcher Bartolo Colon<\/strong><\/a> to a one-year $12.5 million deal. Colon has 232 career wins over 19 major league seasons, including a 15-8 campaign with a 3.43 ERA in 2016.<\/p>\n

Braves, Bartolo Colon Agree to 1-Year Deal<\/h2>\n

Braves General Manager, John Coppolella,<\/strong> firmly stated the main focus in the off-season was to address the need for\u00a0starting pitching. In just this week, they have established that goal.<\/p>\n

Braves Front Office Addresses Need for Starting Pitching<\/h2>\n

First, they re-signed starter Josh Collmenter<\/strong><\/a>, who made three starts for Atlanta in September, to a $1.2 million deal. On Thursday, they signed 41-year old knuckleballer R. A. Dickey<\/strong><\/a> to a one-year, $8 million deal, with a team option for 2018 at the same price. Now, the Braves have signed three reliable starters for only $22.2 million onto the 2017 payroll.<\/p>\n

Colon, along with Dickey, is a\u00a0reliable innings eater for a team needing\u00a0to reduce stress on an inexperienced bullpen. If this team is planning on competing for a playoff spot in 2017, a rotation of Julio Teheran<\/strong><\/a> and Mike Foltynewicz<\/strong><\/a>, along with Colon, Dickey and Collmenter, gives the team a good mix of young, hard-throwers and veteran soft-tossers that could be effective in August and September.<\/p>\n

This also frees the front office to move one of their many young starters. Rumors have circulated about the interest from Atlanta to acquire an ace-type starter via trade, such as Chris Archer<\/strong><\/a> or Chris Sale<\/strong><\/a>. Now pitchers like Foltynewicz, Matt Wisler<\/strong><\/a> and Aaron Blair<\/strong><\/a>, who already have MLB experience, can be traded for a star pitcher, while not depleting the rotation for the future.<\/p>\n

As a result, The Colon signing falls right into the Braves off-season gameplan. They are now suited to stand pat the rest of the winter, barring a major trade for an established player. Atlanta is moving further away from rebuilding into constructing a club ready to compete for 2017 and beyond. Furthermore, Colon should be great in the clubhouse for these young Braves pitchers and a great ticket seller for the shiny new SunTrust Park<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Main Photo<\/p>\n

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Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n