The Twins signed 44-year-old free agent Bartolo Colon on Friday, giving the journeyman pitcher another chance to extend a major league career that began in 1997.
Colon, a 235-game winner, went 2-8 with an 8.14 ERA with the Atlanta Braves before getting designated for assignment last week.
Colon signed a minor league contract and will report to Class AAA Rochester. The Braves must pay the bulk of Colon's $12.5 million, and the Twins will just have to pay a pro-rated portion of the major league minimum ($535,000) if he makes the major league roster.
A four-time All-Star and the 2005 American League Cy Young winner for the Los Angeles Angels, Colon continued to defy his age, going 44-34 with a 3.90 ERA over the previous three seasons for the New York Mets.
