LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — The Mets are living large. Make that extra large.
With Matt Harvey on the sideline for 2014, leaving a hole atop the rotation, the Mets acted boldly on Wednesday, agreeing to terms with burly right-hander Bartolo Colon on a two-year contract worth $20 million, according to an industry source. Colon must pass a physical for the deal to become official.
The move came as a surprise, given Mets general manager Sandy Alderson earlier in the week expressed hesitancy about giving a multi-year contract to a starting pitcher. Of course, Alderson also was hesitant to give Curtis Granderson a fourth season, after initially making a three-year offer to the free-agent outfielder, but upped the stakes to close the deal.
The 40-year-old Colon went 18-6 with a 2.65 ERA last season for Oakland and will give the Mets a potential ace for a rotation that also will include Zack Wheeler, Jon Niese and Dillon Gee, with Jenrry Mejia a strong candidate for the fifth spot.
Harvey, who had claimed the “ace” title in 2013, is expected to miss all of next season as he rehabs from Tommy John surgery.
The Mets still could get involved with a back-end-of-the-rotation type pitcher, such as Freddy Garcia, according to an industry source, to provide depth.
Colon comes with inherent risk. In addition to his weight — he is listed at 265 pounds — the right-hander was suspended 50 games in 2012 after failing a test for performance-enhancing drugs.
Colon pitched for the Yankees in 2011, going 8-10 with a 4.00 ERA. He signed with Oakland after the season and last year finished sixth in the American League Cy Young award voting.
“He’s got a superb feel for pitching, above average command and will do whatever the team wants him to do,” an AL scout said. “A winner. He’s a good pick up for the New York Mets.”
In Colon, Granderson and Chris Young, the Mets have added $87.25 million in long-term contracts this offseason. The team still is searching for a shortstop and bullpen help, and has discussed trades of Ike Davis and Daniel Murphy that would potentially make another $9 million available toward next season.
Colon’s contract is the largest the Mets have given to a free-agent starting pitcher since Oliver Perez received a three-year deal worth $36 million before the 2009 season.
Earlier this week, Alderson held discussions with Johan Santana’s agent about a possible return to the Mets. The team also had considered options earlier in the offseason such as Phil Hughes, who has since signed with Minnesota, and Bronson Arroyo to fill a spot in the rotation.
Adding Colon will allow the Mets to be patient with young pitching talent such as Rafael Montero, Jacob deGrom and top pitching prospect Noah Syndergaard. Ideally, the organization would like to wait until the summer months before promoting a young pitcher, a template that was established the last two years with Harvey and Wheeler.
Colon is 189-128 with a 3.94 ERA during a major league career that began with the Indians in 1997. He won the AL Cy Young award with the Angels in 2005, when he 21-8 with a 3.48 ERA.