Atlanta Braves: Bartolo Colon Joins R.A. Dickey in 2017 Rotation

He was the first of the 158 free agents to switch teams this off-season. Colon made $7.25 million in the final year of his Mets contract.

Knuckleballer and former NL Cy Young Award victor R.A. Dickey has agreed to a one-year contract with the Atlanta Braves.

The Atlanta Braves are bulking up their rotation with a pair of 40-somethings.

For the past three seasons, Colon has pitched for the Braves’ National League East rival, the New York Mets. He also proved to be an endless source of entertainment on the field, belting his first career home run against the San Diego Padres in May and frequently making Gold Glove-worthy defensive plays that defied his age.

But removing our “Batting Bartolo” colored glasses for a second, the Braves now welcome in two guys with a combined age of 85, one of whom (Colon) outlasted the Braves’ previous stadium in terms of Major League experience.

ATLANTA (AP) – The Atlanta Braves are getting older in their starting rotation next season.

After signing 2012 Cy Young award victor R.A. Dickey to a one year contract yesterday, the Braves added another piece to their starting rotation today in 2005 Cy Young award victor Bartolo Colon. Along with that, the signing of Colon is also low risk for the Braves.

If Dickey and Colon both make the Atlanta starting rotation (they are being paid to, after all), they will make a little history.

This past season, Colon proved invaluable due to the injuries to the team’s young hurler. In his career with New York Colon ranked second among Mets with most wins since 2011, behind Jacob deGrom.

Something to watch from a historic standpoint: Hall of Famer Juan Marichal has 243 wins, which is the most ever by a player born in the Dominican Republic.

After winning the 2005 American League Cy Young Award with the Angels, Colon battled the lingering effects of a partially torn rotator cuff and produced a 5.18 ERA while totaling just 47 starts over the next five seasons (2006-10).