Bartolo Colon: Sign and Trade?

Ben Shpigel at the NY Times has a short piece about how Girardi is impressed by Colon and I think the Yanks should sign him before he opts out and then include him in a trade package early in the season.

Surprisingly, Colon truly has pitched very well this Spring, but the news yesterday was that both Colon and Freddy Garcia have their own opt out clauses after Spring Training.  Both men have pitched virtually lights out this spring and have probably turned some heads.

Between Garcia and Colon, I think Freddy is the more trustworthy arm over the course of a full season as he has not missed any time in the majors.  Yet that leaves the Yanks with a dilema:  they invited Colon for a tryout and he's met expectations.  If he opts out it is going to be because other teams have been impressed by what he has shown. 

Someone like Colon isn't going to get a no trade clause, so I think it's in the Yanks best interest to sign him to the 5th starter job out of Spring Training, give him a handful of starts by the middle of May so that they have someone who could be a good looking piece of a package deal in a trade for another younger longer term arm for the team. 

I don't think you'll get a top flight starter straight up for Colon, but as one piece of a larger package he could give Cashman some added leverage he won't have if they just let him walk.

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