Twins sign Colon to minor-league deal

Instead of heading back to Queens, Bartolo Colon is on the way to the Twin Cities.

The 44-year-old right-hander has signed a minor-league deal with the Minnesota Twins, the club announced Friday night.

Colon will report to the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings, per Twins communications director Dustin Morse. He may not be pitching in the Flower City for long, however, as Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports the Twins plan for Colon to return to the majors soon.

Statistically speaking, Colon was the worst starter in baseball during the first half of 2017 with the Atlanta Braves. He posted an 8.14 ERA, 5.10 FIP, and 1.78 WHIP, while allowing 13.1 hits per nine innings over 13 starts this year before Atlanta designated him for assignment on June 29.

That Colon ended up in the Twins organization is somewhat of a surprise, given much had been made of a possible return to the New York Mets, where he pitched from 2014-16 and became a cult hero under the nickname "Big Sexy" thanks to his age, physique, and personality - not to mention his always entertaining at-bats. The Mets apparently showed some interest in bringing the majors' oldest player back into the fold, and reportedly reached out to him after his release.

Colon, the 2005 American League Cy Young winner, owns a career 4.02 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, and 2,407 strikeouts across 20 seasons with nine teams. He's the last active player at any level to have been a member of the now-defunct Montreal Expos.