Grumpy Old Braves

i'm...kind of confused as to what the Braves are going for with this new set of moves.

One of the biggest troubles the Braves had last season was their laughable lack of pitching. Julio Teheran was a fantastic ace, as usual, but he was about it- they went through several has-beens, rookies that weren't ready, and people they had lying around who frankly weren't very good. So, going into 2017, even if they're going to shoot for a losing season (again), they'd need to spruce up their pitching, like, now.

Their first move was signing Josh Collmenter, which...was an odd, yet inspired move. Collmenter hasn't pitched admirably since around 2013. He could be a solid lower-rotation starter if he can get his stuff back.

But then...things got weird.

Yesterday the Braves signed R.A. Dickey, which I actually thought was a smart move. R.A. Dickey's 42, but in knuckleballer years he's 32. Even if 2016 was a slight step back, he's still a dominant strikeout artist, and he's still got control of the knuckleball. Honestly, his years with the Blue Jays were...alright, but a disappointment considering his 2013 season with the Mets. So, I figured that maybe putting Dickey back in the NL would be a nice move, maybe to get him back to his old stuff. Plus, he can have a sit-down with a certain Braves knuckleball icon.

So yeah, the Dickey move was inspired, and I was actually all for it. Then...today...oh dear gosh.

Some people know when to throw in the towel. Some people know when to say 'you know what...this has been nice, but I think I've had enough'. And, judging by the fact that he just signed with the Braves...Bartolo Colon is evidently not one of those people.

Look, I respect the fact that he's still pitching, and I do think he's still a great pitcher, still nabbing wins and a low ERA, and was dominant than most of the kids in Queens this year. I'm just confused as to...HOW exactly he can still be this good. He's 43, for crying out loud! Most 43 year olds just have some little sparks, but the mythology mostly takes over. Colon hasn't really started, well, AGING yet. It's really, really weird.

I do think it'll be great if Julio Teheran, Bartolo Colon and R.A. Dickey all have great seasons next year. It's just gonna be odd that, a year after putting it all in on the youth movement, the Braves are banking on two of the oldest players in the MLB. Still, for their sake, I hope it works.