WHY COLON WAS THE BIGGEST OFFSEASON STEAL

(Photo: Getty)
When the Yankees missed out on Cliff Lee, and I was going through possible candidates that the Yankees could sign and when Bartolo Colon's name was thrown around, my reaction was "When was the last time this guy got off the couch?" Better yet, "When was the last time he pitched in a major league baseball game?"

As a kid, I remember watching him pitch his way to the Cy Young in 2005, but didn't remember much after that. After missing out on the guy who was a born Yankee Killer in the off season, signing Colon seemed like a Plan Z. But in reality, Colon should be the Plan A, and Lee be the Plan B.
(Photo: Getty)
Until Colon got hurt, he had a better record and ERA than Lee, among other stat categories. Given that Lee is on fire now and Colon hasn't pitched in a few weeks, Lee record has changed, he's 8-5, 2.87 ERA and 114 strikeouts. Big Bart, who's still on the DL, is 5-3, 3.10 ERA, 72 strikeouts. That being said, would any of us have thought that Colon would be pitching almost as well as Cliff Lee at this point in the season? Who says Bart couldn't match Lee's stats or do better throughout the whole season? I think Colon has a legitimate chance to do so.

The ultimate icing on the cake would be seeing a Colon vs. Lee Game 7 of the World Series, with the Yankees winning 1-0 backed by a complete game shutout by the big man. Can't you picture it? That would make Brian Cashman look like the biggest genius of them all by not offering Lee a contract that he couldn't refuse, and instead signing Big Bart on the cheap. That would make Cashman deserving of a new contract for whatever he wants.

Look, this World Series thing may just be a pipe dream, but that would be the only thing the Yankees need to convince everyone that the philosophy of spending a ton of money on a roster will be imitated (Phillies, Red Sox, Mets) but NEVER duplicated.(Photo: Getty)
What are your thoughts on Colon? Are you happy now that the Yankees missed out on Lee? Let me know by commenting on this post or shoot me an email will.cohen.bleedingyankeeblue@gmail.com, or adding me on Facebook. Let me know what you think.



--Will Cohen, BYB Staff Writer

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