Octavio Dotel [Should the Yankees Sign Him? - mod]

[Blaze]

Did anyone notice that he's a free agent? I know that he had some arm or elbow trouble this year but maybe that'll make him come cheap. I'm not saying that this guy should be the lynch pin of the relief rotation but if he gets healthy and pans out he could be the sleeper deal of the off season. We get this guy but we still go after the BJ Ryans etc..

[Sam18]

I would love to see the Yankees sign him to a Leiber type deal.

[Ghost of Dan Pasqua]

It's a bit more tricky than that, he had the dreaded "Tommy John" surgery in June and if you believe all those that have had it, the recovery is more like 12 - 15 months before pitchers are back at full strength. That means taking a gamble on Dotel and giving him a 2 year deal and seeing if he can contribute at all by mid season and then at full strength in 2007. He's also going to be 32 this season.

[destro]

thumbs down on this one, unless you can pay him league minimum to sit out and then get an option on the third year

[38Special]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...PGB2D5RLK1.DTL

Washington -- Octavio Dotel's "Tommy John'' surgery was so successful, the reliever said, that renowned arm specialist Dr. James Andrews told him that he probably will be able to pitch in the majors on Opening Day 2006, easily six to 12 months sooner than projected.

"Dr. Andrews said, 'Hey, you're going to be fine. If you were throwing 94- 95 mph before this, you're going to be really good now,' '' Dotel told The Chronicle a day after having a new ulnar collateral ligament put into his right elbow. "He said, 'If you do all your rehab, you'll be pretty much ready for spring training.' ''

[Wang's Groundballs]

I would love, love, love to sign Dotel and Ryan this offseason.

If we can afford him and Ryan our bullpen will be dominant.

[nyyanksfan20]

I agree Dotel and Ryan would be something else for our bullpen. That said I would be just as happy with Flash returning and signing Ryan. But it looks like Flash wants to close on a bad team rather than return for a diminished role.

[Wang's Groundballs]

I agree Dotel and Ryan would be something else for our bullpen. That said I would be just as happy with Flash returning and signing Ryan. But it looks like Flash wants to close on a bad team rather than return for a diminished role.

I'll be happy if Flash comes back or signs somewhere else.

We offer abritration and he comes back: we get a great reliever for 1 more year. We offer arbitration and he signs elsewhere: we likely get 2 draft picks for him. Win, win.

[Sam18]

If we sign Ryan and Dotel we're still gonna need some one who can pitch with a 4+ run lead.

[BRNXBMRS]

If the Yanks can sign him for next to nothing, why not take a shot?

[Fenrir]

Dotel would be a low-risk high-reward signing IMO. That is unless he is demanding big money. I'd love to see him get signed.

[Blaze]

Actually it seems that there is alteast some decent free agent middle relief. So it could be possible to take a risk on Dotel and still make some decent signings for middle relief.. take a look...

BALTIMORE -- B.J. Ryan, lhp
BOSTON -- Mike Timlin, rhp.
CLEVELAND -- Bobby Howry, rhp; Scott Sauerbeck, lhp;
OAKLAND -- Octavio Dotel, rhp; Ricardo Rincon, lhp;
SEATTLE -- m-Eddie Guardado, lhp; c-Shigetoshi Hasegawa, rhp;
TEXAS -- Doug Brocail, rhp;
ARIZONA -- Tim Worrell, rhp.
ATLANTA -- Kyle Farnsworth rhp;
CHICAGO -- p-Glendon Rusch, lhp;
FLORIDA -- Todd Jones, rhp; Jim Mecir, rhp;
PHILADELPHIA -- Ugueth Urbina, rhp; Billy Wagner, lhp.
ST. LOUIS -- Matt Morris, rhp; Al Reyes, rhp; Julian Tavarez, rhp;
SAN DIEGO -- Trevor Hoffman, rhp;
SAN FRANCISCO -- Scott Eyre, lhp;

[ANSKYcm]

I say sign Ryan, Farnsworth, and Dotel and keep Sturtze

9-Rivera
8-Ryan
7-Farnsworth
6-Dotel (Dotel and Farnsworth may switch once Dotel proves he's healthy)
Sturtze
Small

[Sam18]

Ryan, Farnsworth and Dotel. Get it done Cashman.

[Wang's Groundballs]

I'm not big on Farnsworth. I see him getting a fair amount of money after this season, and I'm not convinced he'll continue pitching well.

[Sam18]

I'm not big on Farnsworth. I see him getting a fair amount of money after this season, and I'm not convinced he'll continue pitching well.

How much do you see him making?

[ANSKYcm]

Please correct me if im off, but this is what I see each costing:

Ryan 7-8
Farnsworth 3-4
Dotel 1-2
Guardado 4-5
Wagner 8-9

[Sam18]

Please correct me if im off, but this is what I see each costing:

Ryan 7-8
Farnsworth 3-4
Dotel 1-2
Guardado 4-5
Wagner 8-9

IDK about the others but I see Wagner getting more like 10-11 mil per.

[Wang's Groundballs]

How much do you see him making?

Maybe around $3 million or so. Could be less if teams are scared off by his October performance.

I'd rather just sign Tavarez, if he comes cheaper, and plug him in as our main guy when the game's not close.

My ideal bullpen would probably be:
Rivera
Ryan
Dotel
Tavarez
Bean
Wright

Or plug in Small if we can't sell high on him or Jason Anderson instead of Bean. I'm hoping J. Brent Cox can fly through AA and AAA and be a mid-season callup.

[Wang's Groundballs]

Also, I believe last night the Mets declind the option on Braden Looper. He should not be used against LH in any important situation, but he's murder on RH and could be an option if we can't sign Ryan and/or Dotel.

[Sam18]

Maybe around $3 million or so. Could be less if teams are scared off by his October performance.

I'd rather just sign Tavarez, if he comes cheaper, and plug him in as our main guy when the game's not close.

My ideal bullpen would probably be:
Rivera
Ryan
Dotel
Tavarez
Bean
Wright

Or plug in Small if we can't sell high on him or Jason Anderson instead of Bean. I'm hoping J. Brent Cox can fly through AA and AAA and be a mid-season callup.

I like your plan.

[Sam18]

Also, I believe last night the Mets declind the option on Braden Looper. He should not be used against LH in any important situation, but he's murder on RH and could be an option if we can't sign Ryan and/or Dotel.

Looper would be a good option if he comes cheap. He can be the Sturtze we thought we were getting last year.

[Wang's Groundballs]

Looper would be a good option if he comes cheap. He can be the Sturtze we thought we were getting last year.

Didn't he lose his closer's job at the end of the year? I'm hoping he's not expecting closer's money or a closer's spot...

That's what I would want too...

[Sam18]

Didn't he lose his closer's job at the end of the year? I'm hoping he's not expecting closer's money or a closer's spot...

That's what I would want too...

I believe so. Anyways at this point he is underrated because of the blown saves with the mets(similar to Benitez). If he comes cheap then I'd definately take him.

[Crusadecat]

I agree that he would be worth doing a Lieber deal.

[DontHateOnNumber2]

I would love, love, love to sign Dotel and Ryan this offseason.

If we can afford him and Ryan our bullpen will be dominant.

Dotel would also have to hit his spots. I remember him pitching around the zone and giving up plenty of walks before he went down. Now that I think of it, he was giving up a bunch of hits and runs too. It's been awhile so maybe I'm imagining this all.

[Sam18]

Dotel would also have to hit his spots. I remember him pitching around the zone and giving up plenty of walks before he went down. Now that I think of it, he was giving up a bunch of hits and runs too. It's been awhile so maybe I'm imagining this all.

That could've been due to his injury.

[BW51]

IDK about the others but I see Wagner getting more like 10-11 mil per.

agreed, i believe wagner is coming off 9 mill this past year

and hitting free agency for the first time in his career, i believe he'd be looking for more

[mbn007]

Maybe around $3 million or so. Could be less if teams are scared off by his October performance.

I'd rather just sign Tavarez, if he comes cheaper, and plug him in as our main guy when the game's not close.

My ideal bullpen would probably be:
Rivera
Ryan
Dotel
Tavarez
Bean
Wright

Or plug in Small if we can't sell high on him or Jason Anderson instead of Bean. I'm hoping J. Brent Cox can fly through AA and AAA and be a mid-season callup.

Taveras, Eyre, Rincon. Get me at least 1 of those 3, along with BJ. But if you can't land BJ, get me all 3. Let Gordon go, take the picks. Tell Tom he will be the 7th inning guy if he stays. Then offer Arb. Watch him leave, we net 2 picks.

[JavyVazquezIsSick]

Maybe around $3 million or so. Could be less if teams are scared off by his October performance.

I'd rather just sign Tavarez, if he comes cheaper, and plug him in as our main guy when the game's not close.

My ideal bullpen would probably be:
Rivera
Ryan
Dotel
Tavarez
Bean
Wright

Or plug in Small if we can't sell high on him or Jason Anderson instead of Bean. I'm hoping J. Brent Cox can fly through AA and AAA and be a mid-season callup.

The Yankees are not going to pay Wright the kind of money he is making to be a relief pitcher. He is either going to be traded or be a SP...

[Wang's Groundballs]

Taveras, Eyre, Rincon. Get me at least 1 of those 3, along with BJ. But if you can't land BJ, get me all 3. Let Gordon go, take the picks. Tell Tom he will be the 7th inning guy if he stays. Then offer Arb. Watch him leave, we net 2 picks.

I like Rincon if Torre is told explicitly that he is not to be used against RH unless the game is out of hands.

[ryanthe13th]

Huge no to Farnsworth. This guy is completely out of his mind. Dotel sounds like a good decision. I'm willing to take the gamble that he will be healthy.

[Enoch]

Huge no to Farnsworth. This guy is completely out of his mind. Dotel sounds like a good decision. I'm willing to take the gamble that he will be healthy.

Aside from the one game in the playoffs, Farnsworth was lights out for the Braves down the stretch last year. He has ELECTRIC stuff.....great fastball, his slider is simply stellar as well...

I think Dotel would be a good gamble. We have the money, lets do it.

[ryanthe13th]

Farnsworth is notorious for that. He has stretches where he is dominant, but then he gets absolutely bombed. The Cubs wanted him to be their closer, but due to his inconsistancy and attitude problems, they let him go. He'd be a dick to deal with, and I'm fairly certain he wishes to close. He couldn't stand being second to Percival in Detroit, thats a reason he left.

[CptCrunch]

Aside from the one game in the playoffs, Farnsworth was lights out for the Braves down the stretch last year. He has ELECTRIC stuff.....great fastball, his slider is simply stellar as well...

I think Dotel would be a good gamble. We have the money, lets do it.

Please don't use the word "electric" in describing a reliever's stuff. The flashbacks are frightening.

[ryanthe13th]

Please don't use the word "electric" in describing a reliever's stuff. The flashbacks are frightening.

I think about Byung Hyung Kim.

[Enoch]

Farnsworth is notorious for that. He has stretches where he is dominant, but then he gets absolutely bombed. The Cubs wanted him to be their closer, but due to his inconsistancy and attitude problems, they let him go. He'd be a dick to deal with, and I'm fairly certain he wishes to close. He couldn't stand being second to Percival in Detroit, thats a reason he left.

He was traded to the braves for Roman Colon....

[BJG]

In addition to the recovery time required before you can pitch again, it also usually takes a season or so of pitching to get back up to speed. This is why Lieber spent that year in the minors/Tampa, for example. In other words, Dotel may be ready to go for the start of 2006, but I'd doubt he's actually any good until 2007.

[Rocketman]

I _love_ to get Dotel and sign him as a project. For very little money (relatively) we could have a truly terrific setup man for years to come.

[silverdsl]

I'd like to see the Yankees take a chance on Dotel if his asking price isn't too high. Expectations would have to be reasonable as well. As BJG mentioned, he might be able to pitch on opening day but he might not be as lights out right away as fans and the team might like. So they'd probably have to take it slow with him.

-Deborah

[stupidpunchline]

I'm all for throwing money at any middle reliever not offered arbitration

[flymick24]

am i the only one who doesn't want either farnsworth or dotel near the bronx?

[jcan411]

Ryan, Farnsworth and Dotel. Get it done Cashman.

And we can eat magic gumdrops on a road paved with rainbow. EVERYONE is looking for middle relief. Getting any two of the cream of the crop will be impossible. Fransworth and ryan are, arguabley, the best two. Get ryan and few cheap options. Try to keep Gordon and we will be fine....

[Blaze]

And we can eat magic gumdrops on a road paved with rainbow. EVERYONE is looking for middle relief. Getting any two of the cream of the crop will be impossible. Fransworth and ryan are, arguabley, the best two. Get ryan and few cheap options. Try to keep Gordon and we will be fine....

I'm not on the Fransworth boat but because Dotel is coming off surgery it might be quite possible to keep Gordon or sign Ryan and STILL get Dotel.
I say he's worth the risk, why not? We've taken risk bigger than this in the past. Remember that cuban thirdbaseman that nobody ever got to see play?
I say why not.

[YankClipper5]

And we can eat magic gumdrops on a road paved with rainbow. EVERYONE is looking for middle relief. Getting any two of the cream of the crop will be impossible. Fransworth and ryan are, arguabley, the best two. Get ryan and few cheap options. Try to keep Gordon and we will be fine....

I agree! As I said in another thread, Ryan is a must because he is top tier and young. I say offer Gordon a fair salary and tell him to take or leave it, the pick wouldnt hurt in return as he is getting older and has shown nothing in the postseason. If we get Ryan and Gordon, great. If not pick up a solid 2nd tier guy who can eat innings and not collapse, a vet with some guts. Don't go out and lose picks and cash by signing all guys we dont need. All star teams have not gotten it done for the Yanks, spend wisely and allow the farm to develop and stock up, which will give the cash flexibility as well as prospects to tweak the team midseason, something we havent been able to do for a few seasons now.

[rivera,s cutter]

Ryan, Farnsworth and Dotel. Get it done Cashman.

totally agree.what a bullpen that will be with MO small and sturtz!

[indianyanksfan]

mo
ryan
howry
chacon
eyre
wright

get millwood for the rotation.

or just have a pen of
mo
ryan
farnsworth
howry
wright
small

[George Steinbrenner]

sign him sign him sign him

Rivera
Gordon
Ryan
Dotel

MMMMMMMMMMMMM-HMMMMM. I LIKE IT.

[George Steinbrenner]

Kyle "choke artist" Farnsworth? Get the hell outta here.

[Blaze]

Kyle "choke artist" Farnsworth? Get the hell outta here.

I would think that Farnsworth would probably want to be a closer, maybe setup at least. That being said I can't imagine him signing with the Yanks, he has also had problems with inconsistantcy. I've always liked Guardado and Rincon as lefties out of the pen. Any opinions?