While the initial reports were greatly exaggerated, Octavio Dotel's agent says
the White Sox are hot on the trail of the injury-prone right-handed reliever:
Despite one report that a two-year, $11 million deal had been completed, nothing official is expected until this weekend or early next week. But the Sox seem to be the favorites to land the nine-year veteran.
"The White Sox are definitely a team Octavio has interest in," agent Dan Horwits said. "There's mutual interest. Our discussions have been intensifying with the White Sox. We'll see where they lead."
I'm having a hard time coming to one opinion on Dotel, so I'll blurt out various thoughts, and you can tell me how I should think.
Pro: Two years, $11 million doesn't really bother me. At this stage in the game, I can't imagine this move blocking Kenny Williams from pulling off a blockbuster, cash-wise. The length is appropriate, and while $5.5 million a year is high for a guy that DL-friendly, it's not like the price for parking will drop if the Sox don't spend the money.
Con: Then again, there's that DL-friendly thing. Dotel has averaged 18 innings a season over the last three. That's good for about a month and a half out of six.
Pro: But he's what David Aardsma was supposed to be. Dotel, a hard-throwing righty, struck out 41 over 30 2/3 innings last year, walking only 12. While he's had some misadventures in his career (closing out games for Oakland, namely), throwing strikes isn't one of them when he's healthy.
Con: Sure, when he's healthy. Eighteen innings!
Pro: Imagine the back end of the bullpen. Innings Nos. 7-8-9 could go Scott Linebrink-Dotel-Bobby Jenks. Or Matt Thornton-Dotel-Jenks. Or MacDougal-Dotel-Jenks. He would give Ozzie Guillen a lot of options, and a more reliable one.
Con: Speaking of MacDougal, Dotel is an ex-Royal. Weren't MacDougal and Andrew Sisco enough last year?
Pro: But speaking of the division, what if he ended up in Detroit? The
Tigers have expressed interest in Dotel, and pitching is the one area in which they are vulnerable. The Sox might be smart to block the Tigers, since Mike Ilitch's wallet could easily absorb another injury-shortened year or two, so he could take the risk to reap the potential rewards.
Con: So Detroit would be in an even better position to compete with the Sox? Exactly.
UPDATE: Ken Rosenthal reports it, which means it's just about official:
The White Sox, looking to make another addition to their bullpen, have
signed right-hander Octavio Dotel to a two-year, $11 million contract,
according to a major-league source.
If there isn't a no-trade clause, this is a perfectly acceptable deal, with the potential to be outstanding.
UPDATE AGAIN: MLB.com confirms it:
CHICAGO -- The White Sox took another step toward revamping their shaky
2007 bullpen by adding Octavio Dotel to the mix. The two-year, $11
million deal probably won't be announced until Tuesday or Wednesday,
with a decision to be made by the team on removing a current player
from the 40-man roster.
"It's just about done with the White Sox," said Dan Horwits, Dotel's
agent, of the deal on Monday afternoon. "We are just finishing up the
last details, but I don't foresee them causing any problems. And then
he'll be part of the White Sox."
Note: If you're coming to this site directly to this entry,
there's more on the Dotel deal here.