Mets to re-sign Bartolo Colon to one-year deal

The Mets have reached an agreement to re-sign Bartolo Colon to a one-year, $7.25-million deal. Per Ken Rosenthal, the popular starting pitcher, who will turn 43 years old in May, rejected superior offers to stay in New York, where he became a fan favorite over the past two seasons.

By trading Jon Niese to the Pirates for Neil Walker, the Mets created a vacancy in their starting rotation behind Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, and Steven Matz, at least until Zack Wheeler returns from Tommy John surgery. If those five pitchers are all in the rotation at the same time later in the 2016 season, the veteran Colon could move into a swingman role.

In 2015, Colon had a 4.16 ERA and 3.84 FIP in 194.2 innings. He relies heavily on a not-so-fast heater, but few starters match his precision. Through 62 starts for the Mets over the past two years, he issued just 54 walks. In a market where Mike Pelfrey got a two-year, $16 deal, Colon gave the Mets a hometown discount.