How Good Does Bartolo Colon Need To Be?

This morning ESPN's Adam Rubin highlighted a series of projections made at FanGraphs.com which show a return to the norm for Bartolo Colon.  You'll recall that last year Colon boasted a career year in which he went 18-6 with a 2.65 ERA.  That was the main reason he was able to secure a multi-year deal from the Mets.

The Steamer projection believes that Colon will post an 11-11 record with a 3.80 ERA, while the Oliver projection predicts a somewhat more likeable stat line of 12-8 with a 3.45 ERA.  Unfortunately neither predicts how many innings the veteran pitcher will throw.

Fans need to remember that although Colon replaces Matt Harvey in the rotation, he wasn't necessarily acquired to serve as the team's ace.  The Mets needed someone who could come in and throw at least 150 innings this season.  Colon has managed that in each of his last three campaigns.

Basically what it comes down to is whether or not a Dillon Gee type season is acceptable for Colon this year.  I for one would probably sign up for that.  That means he kept the Mets in the games he pitched for the most part, so hopefully the renovated team offense can pick up a few extra wins. 

Colon will turn forty-one in May, and time waits for no man.  I'm not going to get tied up in whether or not he duplicates his 2013 season.  I just want healthy, effective innings that gives the Mets an opportunity to win every time he's on the bump.  That will be enough for me, but is that sufficient for you too?