Putting Bartolo Colón in the starting rotation is the right move

Putting Bartolo Colón in the rotation is a no-brainer.

Have you seen who the Minnesota Twins have thrown on the mound this year? I hope for your sake that you haven’t. It hasn’t been pretty, but it’s about to get rightfully sexy. LaVelle E. Neal of the Star Tribune is reporting that Bartolo Colón will be the Twins’ starting pitcher on Tuesday against the New York Yankees and that is a very good thing.

First and foremost, putting Colón in the rotation is pure entertainment value. A guy that is old enough to have played with the Montreal Expos and is the size of an NFL lineman being on the mound is worth the price of admission.

Second, why the heck not? For the most part, the Twins’ pitching this season has been absolutely horrid. To give a taste of how bad it is let’s look at the following list: Craig Breslow, Hector Santiago, Matt Belisle, Phil Hughes, Kyle Gibson and Ryan Pressly. Those are all Twins pitchers who have been used quite frequently throughout the season so far that are still on the team and have an ERA north of 5.00. Yes, Colón’s ERA with Atlanta so far this year was 8.14, but let’s just say that’s not out of the ordinary for Minnesota this season.

Third, success for Colón was not that long ago. Just last season with the New York Mets, Colón made the All-Star Game. Maybe Colón has hit the cliff of no more success, but his track record has a lot more success than the other options the Twins have. It’s worth the gamble.

More from Sporting Sota

• Minnesota Twins bullpen will be their downfall
• Top 5 Minnesota Twins Pitching Prospects
• Kyle Rudolph signing gives stability to Minnesota Vikings offense
• Jake Odorizzi’s emergence fueling Twins starting staff
• Former Minnesota Twins player David Ortiz shot

I’m not saying that Colón is going to be dropped into the Twins rotation and be fighting for the American League Cy Young award. That’s not going to be the case, but the Twins have nothing to lose here. The other options are not good and the team might as well try to go to the Colón well one more time.

It might not be an ace addition and it might not even be an addition that works for the Twins, but it shouldn’t be made fun of. It is worth a shot. Worse case is Colón gets cut in a couple weeks. Best case is Colón is the number three starter for a team that charges for a playoff spot.

Crazier things have happened.

Next: Let's predict the Vikings roster!

Sporting Sota is your home for all things Minnesota sports! Keep it here for all your Minnesota Twins, Timberwolves, Vikings, Gophers, Wild and Lynx needs!