After trading Javier Vazquez, the White Sox were left with a hole in their starting rotation. Wednesday evening, they added someone who may be able to fill it. Bartolo Colon -- who played for the White Sox back in 2003 -- was signed to a one-year contract with the South Siders.
A rotation spot isn't likely be handed to Colon. Mark Buehrle, John Danks, Gavin Floyd, and Jose Contreras have nailed down the top four spots. Considering Colon hasn't thrown more than 100 innings since his Cy Young campaign in 2005, he'll have to prove himself in Spring Training.
While's he's not overly old, you have to question the durability of Colon at this point in his career. He is, shall we say, large enough to appear completely out of shape. He got injured last season after the Red Sox gave him a shot, and, again, he hasn't been healthy since 2005. On top of that, Colon was simply dreadful in 2006 and 2007. He had a decent go-round with the Red Sox last year, but it was an incredibly small sample (seven starts). At 36, it's tough to envision him reversing fortune enough to help a team like the White Sox, who expect to compete for a division title.
On the other hand, from 1998 through 2005, Colon was a very solid pitcher. In that stretch, he was actually quite durable, racking up over 200 innings pitched in six of those seven seasons. He put together stellar seasons in 2002 and 2005, before morphing into the "Fatolo" character we see now. The hope is that he can regain some of that form.
While it probably won't cost them much, it's likely the White Sox are going to see many more starts from either Jeff Marquez or Aaron Peroda than Colon. A little competition in the spring, however, never hurt anyone.
White Sox Ink Bartolo Colon to Compete For Spot in Starting Rotation originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Thu, 15 Jan 2009 00:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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