Colon...

[jsebe10]

He's been getting his 43 years old titts ripped today and this spring. We really don't intend to go into the season with this fat @$$ big headed goblin do we? Coppy was just fckn with the fan base this offseason but the joke is kind of running to long.

[nsacpi]

I can't believe we spent 12M on this guy and came up short trying to get a catcher.

[cajunrevenge]

Colon stinks.

[Hawk]

I can't believe we spent 12M on this guy and came up short trying to get a catcher.

One word which will be overused this season in reference to both Dickey and Colon: Tutelage.

[Braves1976]

I can't believe we spent 12M on this guy and came up short trying to get a catcher.

I cannot believe we gave up three recent top 30 prospects for an oft-injured Garcia who's only on a one year deal making another 12 million himself. Between Colon and him we spent 24.5 million plus three prospects that were all recently in our top 30. Why didn't we just sign another free agent and keep the prospects? If you have 24.5 million to spend get someone good and a better catcher to pair with Flowers and keep the prospects too. That would make more sense!

That said, I was all for signing Dickey and he was also cheaper by 4.5 million or so.

[nsacpi]

maybe he's working on some things...like a new bra size

[nsacpi]

I cannot believe we gave up three recent top 30 prospects for an oft-injured Garcia who's only on a one year deal making another 12 million himself. Between Colon and him we spent 24.5 million plus three prospects that were all recently in our top 30. Why didn't we just sign another free agent and keep the prospects? If you have 24.5 million to spend get someone good and a better catcher to pair with Flowers and keep the prospects too. That would make more sense!

That said, I was all for signing Dickey and he was also cheaper by 4.5 million or so.

I was fine with Dickey too. We could have stopped there and made sure we got a catcher. Only after that was done would I have considered signing another starting pitcher. I would have been ok with Gant, Wisler, Collmenter and maybe Newcomb, Sims and Povse battling for the last two spots.

[rico43]

I cannot believe we gave up three recent top 30 prospects for an oft-injured Garcia who's only on a one year deal making another 12 million himself. Between Colon and him we spent 24.5 million plus three prospects that were all recently in our top 30. Why didn't we just sign another free agent and keep the prospects? If you have 24.5 million to spend get someone good and a better catcher to pair with Flowers and keep the prospects too. That would make more sense!

That said, I was all for signing Dickey and he was also cheaper by 4.5 million or so.

You forgot to mention the three prospects who were recently in the top 30.

[nsacpi]

You forgot to mention the three prospects who were recently in the top 30.

I believe it was Gant, Ellis and Dykstra. Is there a link to your mid 2016 list, before the draft.

[Braves1976]

I believe it was Gant, Ellis and Dykstra. Is there a link to your mid 2016 list, before the draft.

He was just acting like a childish ass (ie. mocking me). That said, MLBTR noted all three being top 30 prospects in their original report.

[dak]

I can't believe we spent 12M on this guy and came up short trying to get a catcher.

I definitely agree that the fact we whiffed on a catcher is troubling since we have such an obvious short term and long term need at that position. But is $12m really an unreasonable price for Colon? He's coming off 3 years in a row of ~3 WAR per 200 / IP. He's also a plus fielder (somehow), and presumably adds some leadership value to the team . . . and certainly plenty of marketability. If we needed to scrap an FA signing to carve out money for Jason Castro, I'd navigate the time machine back to the day we signed Jim Johnson for 2 / $10m with significant incentives. I'm especially nervous about JJ now that McDowell is gone, since it seems that he's played a role in getting him "fixed" when things go awry.

As for Garcia, I think the price paid was fair. I don't view it as favorably as Fangraphs / Dave Cameron, who had his acquisition as one of the top moves of the MLB offseason, but I don't have major concerns with the price.

[Braves1976]

I'd navigate the time machine back to the day we signed Jim Johnson for 2 / $10m with significant incentives. I'm especially nervous about JJ now that McDowell is gone, since it seems that he's played a role in getting him "fixed" when things go awry.

I hated that deal, JJ could've had an ERA around 4 if not for Inciarte taking back a three run homer and numerous other great plays on defense last year. He's only still here because of John Hart as Hart said just before coming to us that JJ is his favorite closer and that he thought he was as good as anyone (yes, he even thought him better than Kimbrel, etc at the time). Hart has a habit of this sort of thing, JJ is one example, another was AJ who was basically family and of course he also had to have Olivera and we know how that turned out.

[Managuarantano's Volunteers]

I love spring training.

Colon will be fine-ish.

[zbhargrove]

I don't care how bad he does in spring. If it holds over then I care

[striker42]

If he's bad we'll have a Colon cleansing.

[nsacpi]

MLB.com: One of your notable offseason acquisitions was a 43-year-old starting pitcher. What most attracted you to Bartolo Colon?
Coppolella: John Hart had a long history with him, signed him 25 years ago. John knows who this person is; I've seen it firsthand as he beat us with the Mets year after year. He's a great teammate, somebody you can count on for innings, and he has a chance -- he's 13 wins away from the D.R. record for starting pitchers, 16 away from the Latin record for starting pitchers. Say that he can hang in there for two or three more years, he has a shot at the Hall of Fame. This is a special guy.
Guys just love having him on the team. There's a lot of good things. He will help our young guys in two ways. One, he will help teach them about the game. If I'm a young Braves pitcher and I see this guy at 43 years old, what I'm saying to myself is, "How do I do what he's doing? Why is he still in the game at 43? He must be doing a lot of things right, let me find out what."

[Braves1976]

MLB.com: One of your notable offseason acquisitions was a 43-year-old starting pitcher. What most attracted you to Bartolo Colon?
Coppolella: John Hart had a long history with him, signed him 25 years ago. John knows who this person is; I've seen it firsthand as he beat us with the Mets year after year. He's a great teammate, somebody you can count on for innings, and he has a chance -- he's 13 wins away from the D.R. record for starting pitchers, 16 away from the Latin record for starting pitchers. Say that he can hang in there for two or three more years, he has a shot at the Hall of Fame. This is a special guy.
Guys just love having him on the team. There's a lot of good things. He will help our young guys in two ways. One, he will help teach them about the game. If I'm a young Braves pitcher and I see this guy at 43 years old, what I'm saying to myself is, "How do I do what he's doing? Why is he still in the game at 43? He must be doing a lot of things right, let me find out what."

Maybe Hart can bring back Simmons after he loses his arm and range and we can say well Hart had him 25 years ago when he started in Atlanta. JK. :)

[nsacpi]

Maybe Hart can bring back Simmons after he loses his arm and range and we can say well Hart had him 25 years ago when he started in Atlanta. JK. :)

They're doing it with Boyer. Good pitcher. Even better person. Local kid. Great guy in the locker room.

[Braves1976]

They're doing it with Boyer. Good pitcher. Even better person. Local kid. Great guy in the locker room.

Plus he is said to found more velocity too! He just cannot tell you where it's going when he brings it. :)

[TheBravos]

My prediction:
Colon:
4"ish" ERA...He will have some great games and some not so great games. I am not "that" worried about the spring. When you are 43, it has to be a very boring process. Some team will pick him up at the deadline if we cover part of his contract. For a decent prospect.

Dickey:
I feel about the same...but a tad less confident until I see him pitch in a real game....4.20 ERA

I think both of these guys will win at least ten games a piece, because they know how to pitch.

Garcia:
Contract year = career year. "IF" he can stay heathy , he will have a great season and we could end up netting some really nice prospects. They always magically have unreal Years when their contracts are up. Wait and see...THIS could be the best off-season get of the year.

Folty:
Might be our ace by year's end, and will take another step forward.

Julio:
Another solid year. He will be one of the better pitchers in baseball once again.

Blair and Wisler:
By the trade deadline I expect at least one of these guys to put it together and be in the rotation.

Newcomb and Sims:
Should both progress and I also expect one of these two will be in the rotation after the trade deadline.

Weigel:
Regresses a tad bit makes adjustments and pitches well enough at the end of the year to get strong consideration for the 2018 rotation.

Fried:
Biggest riser. Continues to dominate and ends the year in AAA and will be considered a lock for the 2018 rotation.

Don't fret too much about the old guys. They'll be gone by the trade deadline (or sooner if one or more of the young guys step up). They are just place holders. The reason they paid so much for these guys on one year deals is so they didnt have to give multiple years to anyone else. We should have plenty of pitching options next year or before.

Would you have really liked them to lock up 1-2 average pitchers (in this crappy market), to long term deals when we have all these young guys right on the edge??