Buzz: Royals and Bartolo Colon
According to Impacto Deportivo, the Royals may be close to signing free-agent RHP Bartolo Colon.
…thanks to Steve W for the link…
…from what i could gather, the Mets had 
interest in colon, and even checked in on him while he pitched in the Dominican Winter League, but there is no indication their interest went any further than that - even though colon was said to have been performing quite well this winter…
…assuming this link is accurate - and, frankly, i am always reluctant to totally bank on these google translations - then good for the Royals, because i think colon may be a nice gamble…
Colon, who has been battling shoulder and elbow problems since 2006, has a career record of 146-95 and a 4.10 ERA in 306 starts.
…however, if the Royals give him a guaranteed roster spot, i will understand why he did not end up on the Mets - because, frankly, i’m not sure the Mets need to lock in a spot with a guy like colon right now…if he ends up signing a multi-year deal, as MLB.com once suggested he is seeking, not bringing him to queens will make even more sense…
…he is worth inviting to camp, which is certainly his second choice, but i have no interest in getting more bogged down in players who are clearly on the back nine of a career…
…nevertheless, the buzz during the Winter Meetings had been that the Mets were the front runners for free-agent RHP Freddy Garcia, who will not be ready to pitch in a major-league game until mid-summer…
Garcia, 32, is rehabbing from shoulder surgery on his labrum and rotator cuff and should be ready to pitch by midseason.
During his nine-year career, he is 117-76 and has a 4.07 ERA – though he was just 1–5 last season for the Phillies.
…as i wrote last week, the i sense i got is that the Mets would end up signing one of these two starting pitchers to a one-year deal, or a similar pitcher like them, because it only makes sense from a risk-reward stand point…of course, that’s assuming they end up in a position in which they need to take that risk…
