Will he or won't he? Colon at center of Rangers' final roster moves

Please try to follow along, because this one is a doozy, even for the Texas Rangers:

The club announced Saturday morning, the final morning of spring training, that Bartolo Colon had been released from his minor-league deal.

The right-hander still had a locker in the clubhouse and was still wearing Rangers gear while getting in his normal daily workout.

The Rangers want him to be their starting pitcher April 2 at Oakland in Game 5 of the 2018 season while Martin Perez opens on the disabled list. They just want to pay Colon a different guarantee than the one they agreed upon in February.

But it might not be Colon after all.

Got it?

"We know what we're doing, basically," general manager Jon Daniels said.

The Rangers packed their things for Arlington, with their flight to Texas set to take off after they closed out their Cactus League schedule with a noon game against the Cleveland Indians.

They have two roster decisions for Opening Day to be resolved and three players — and an outside chance at a fourth — to fill them. The Colon domino is the first that needs to fall.

"There are some things that have to play out for us to be able to actually talk about them," Daniels said. "There's actually not that much up in the air. I don't think it's that complicated."

Outfielder Drew Robinson and right-hander Jose Leclerc will be directly impacted by what happens with Colon, who might not make the Opening Day roster. Robinson and Leclerc could, and then one would be optioned April 2 to make room for Colon.

First, though, Colon has to agree to new terms with the Rangers. Their terms. If he is to make only one start for them, they don't want to pay him $1.75 million to do so. If he makes the start and sticks in the bullpen, the Rangers can incentivize his contract.

They released him because they didn't want to be on the hook for a $100,000 retention bonus that was due Saturday. With that comes the risk that he lands a deal with another team.

The Rangers might also seek his assurance that he would report to Triple A Round Rock if he were to be designated for assignment and clear waivers. The Rangers are shy on starting pitching depth and could us an extra arm when one of the rotation regulars needs to go on the disabled list.

Jesse Chavez is not a candidate for the April 2 start, and left-hander Yohander Mendez could be if a player on the Opening Day roster is put on the disabled list. Technically speaking, that could be accomplished through Perez (right elbow), Tim Lincecum (blister) or Tony Barnette (back).

"There's nothing negative that would come from having Bartolo Colon," manager Jeff Banister said. "There are still moving parts to his whole thing. We don't have to have that one all cleared up until that day."

Colon has been as advertised, Daniels said, though Banister suggested that Colon's impact on the clubhouse has been more than what was expected. On the field, Colon was their best Cactus League starting pitcher, posting a 3.00 ERA over five starts and 18 innings.

Five of the six earned runs he allowed came March 17 in a start against the Kansas City Royals. Colon rebounded by tossing 5 1/3 scoreless innings Thursday against the Seattle Mariners.

Perez, who will receive a start Friday in a simulated game at Round Rock to ensure his broken right elbow is good to go, has been impacted the most by Colon's experienced and sage advise, but he's not the only one.

"Performance-wise he was really good," Banister said. "Inside the clubhouse, exceptional."

The Rangers said that Colon was unavailable for comment Saturday. Robinson and Leclerc were called into Banister's office to get the lay of the land.

In the grand scheme of things, the final two spots on the roster aren't the biggest news ahead of the 2018 regular season. But with five days until Opening Day, the Rangers still aren't 100 percent sure on the composition of their roster.

Indians 10, Rangers 3

This story was originally published March 24, 2018 at 1:08 PM with the headline "Will he or won't he? Colon at center of Rangers' final roster moves."