D-backs talking to Bartolo Colon

PHOENIX — Could Bartolo Colon be the fifth starter the D-backs have been looking for?

The D-backs seem to believe so as a baseball source said they were in talks to sign the right-hander.

Colon was 8-10 with a 4.00 ERA in 29 games (26 starts) for the Yankees last season. The 38-year-old did not pitch in 2010 and signed a Minor League deal with the Yankees after undergoing stem cell treatment for elbow and rotator cuff injuries.

Thanks to a strong performance in the spring, Colon made the Yankees roster and was an effective starter before seeming to tire down the stretch. In September, Colon posted a 5.96 ERA and was not added to the team’s postseason roster.

The D-backs rotation currently consists of Ian Kennedy, Daniel Hudson, Trevor Cahill and Josh Collmenter with the fifth spot set to come from a group of young pitchers that includes among others Wade Miley, Barry Enright, Tyler Skaggs, Trevor Bauer and Charles Brewer.

Given the youth and inexperience of that group, the D-backs had hoped to add a veteran fifth starter as added depth in case none of the young starters were able to make the jump to the big leagues.

– Steve Gilbert