Colon Comes Back to the White Sox

In a deal that appears to have little risk for the team, Fox Sports is reporting that the White Sox have signed pitcher Bartolo Colon to a one-year deal, pending a physical. This will be Colon's second stint with the team, as he won 15 games for the southsiders in 2003.

Colon won the Cy Young in 2005, but has not returned to that peak form since. He has battled back injuries and has started a total of just 36 games in the past three seasons. For the Red Sox in 2008, he pitched in just seven games and was suspended at the end of the year for leaving town before the season was over.

Before 2005, he was a force to be reckoned with, winning at least 15 games six times in his career. Colon won at least 20 games, in 2002 and 2005. He has pitched 31 complete games, putting him in the top 15 of active pitchers. The several innings he's pitched, and lack of physical conditioning, may have contributed to his injury issues.

Still, he can be an asset for the Sox. If he can return to half the form he was in his Cy Young season, that will be better than many pitching options that the White Sox currently have. Though Colon has balked at the idea of the bullpen in the past, if Guillen can convince him to try relief, he will be a welcome sight for the entire Sox pitching corps.

At 35, he is hardly a long-term solution, but for this season, it's a signing that offers Colon a good chance at being a dominant pitcher once again. If not, what the heck, it's just a one-year deal.