The Royals Have Signed Dotel?

by Freneau on Dec 7, 2006 10:23 PM EST in Kansas City Royals News

Per Boston Herald and Rotoworld, the Royals have signed Octavio Dotel to a one-year deal. $5 million guaranteed.

I'm stunned. Thoughts?

Immediate response: Yesterday Joe Sheehan said he preferred Dotel to Gagne at this point, because Dotel actually pitched late last season. Who knows what we'll see at this point. Best case scenario: Dotel is his old self, and Moore flips him for a B-prospect at the deadline. Worst case scenario: He's bad.

You really can't screw up a one-year deal. Although I'm stunned this is the best offer Dotel got, probably says something about his reputation amongst the other GMs.

By the way, looks like Dayton really has been given an actual big-league budget to work with.

First Royals Review Dotel Official Prediction for 2007:

Dotel will be named the mythical closer, and have a bad outing during the first week. After which, Buddisimo and others will grumble about his mental makeup and that maybe the lovable Joe Nelson should close games. Much teeth-gnashing and radio hours will be spent on the topic. Dotel's salary will be mentioned with the familiarity of a Homeric epithet.

I cannot wait and furthermore, I already do not care.

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More Dotel stuff on Friday morning:

Dotel's page at Baseball-Reference

[...]
[...]

Well actually, I'm not sure the Dotal deal is official yet, I can't find any more authoritative stories online. In the meantime, theres the entirely unshocking news that JoePoe likes the Meche signing:

Yes, it would be pretty easy to keep going on in this sarcastic tone for the rest of this column ? seriously what could be easier than ripping the sad-sack Royals for spending $55 million on Gil Meche? Columnists dream about opportunities like this. There?s only one small problem:

I kind of like this move.

The claim is that a) the Royals had to do something ricky/bold/manly and that actually b) Gil Meche was their man all along and that he may be the next Chris Carpenter or Jason Schmidt.

Lets hope so, because the Royals are basically paying that rate already for Meche. Yesterday an unnamed BP'er claimed, "This is like a family on welfare buying a plasma TV that doesn?t work".

The simile I prefer is, the Meche signing is like paying double for a beachhouse in an area no one has discovered yet, because they're still waiting for the local taffy factory to be torn down. Once that taffy factory is gone, the area will really improve, and pretty sure, values in the neighborhood will, umm, double.

Make no mistake, there is no bargain here. The Royals are paying Meche Carpenter-money now, before he's actually made the leap to that level. This is unlike, you know, the original model.

Well, we've got five years to further discuss this.

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Update [2006-12-8 12:45:32 by royalsreview]:

Final details now availible courtesy of Bob Dutton and the Star. Opportunity to close games (and rack up money-making saves totals) is a cited reason for Dotel's journey to Kansas City.

John Bale, a 32 year old reliever has also signed. As "ROR1FAN" notes in his diary, Bale also choose the Royals over the Yankees. Honestly, I'm not sure what to make of this angle, I don't know if the players are being told to mention it, or if the reporters are broaching the subject or what.

Batista is supposedly still being pursued.

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Comments

I hope not.

I mean, it's one thing to spend money ($62 million between Dotel and Meche). It's another to spend money on not one, BUT TWO!!! pitchers who have serious health questions and weren't that good to begin with last season. If the Royals offense was good enough to support a poor pitching staff that is now just below mediocre, than i can see a shred of logic to these signings. But our lineup for next season is nothing to drool over. I'm stunned. Very reckless spending.

by nycroyal on Dec 7, 2006 10:32 PM EST reply actions

Another thing...

The last time Dotel was in a closer role in the American League, he sucked a$$ for the A's. I don't understand this signing at all.

by nycroyal on Dec 7, 2006 10:33 PM EST reply actions

i admit

i was shocked when i saw it but i dont see much of a downside

by Freneau on Dec 7, 2006 10:38 PM EST up reply actions

STOP THE INSANITY!!

Whats the next, the long dreamed of Sweeney/Berroa trade?

FIRE BELL

by FireBell on Dec 7, 2006 10:40 PM EST reply actions

the most shocking day in royals history

incredible

dayton is wheelin' and dealin'

by LeoBloom on Dec 7, 2006 10:48 PM EST reply actions

i like the signing

it usually takes a full year to come back from TJ surgery and he sucked last year so maybe he will regain his form in the royal blue. Everyone says he looked great in his one inning of work on wednesday hitting 93-94 with a plus slider. I have a feeling this will be a great signing.

60% of the time it works every time!

by greggagneHOF on Dec 7, 2006 10:57 PM EST reply actions

Bullpen Stabalizer

If he sucks, it's one year. He really only had that one year/half year in Oakland as a closer anyway. In a lot of ways it could be like Joe Nathan from Minnesota where a great set-up guy becomes a great closer. I'm really excited the way the pitching staff is shaping up.

lordbyronk

by lordbyronk on Dec 7, 2006 10:58 PM EST reply actions

heres what jayson stark had to say

The AL Central just gets better and better. And while no one has paid much attention, even the Royals are trying to make a move.

Not that new GM Dayton Moore didn't seem to overpay drastically for the enigmatic Gil Meche (five years, at a reported $55 million). But you can tell Moore came from Atlanta, because he just keeps stockpiling arms. Already this winter, he has brought in Meche, Bannister, Ken Ray, Wayne Franklin and Dewon Brazelton. And Miguel Batista might not be far behind.

Nobody in there is exactly Glavine, Maddux or Smoltz. But assuming enough of those pitchers turn into a real staff at some point, this team could actually be a force when masher Billy Butler and minor league player of the year Alex Gordon arrive in the next year or so. No kidding.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/hotstove06/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&id=2690258

60% of the time it works every time!

by greggagneHOF on Dec 7, 2006 11:30 PM EST reply actions

Wow, I think this gets us to about 55M

which was the high end of Glass's range. I think the initial positive reaction to Meche is simply that we're all shocked to see the Royals spending real money and winning bidding wars with teams like the cubs and sox, even if in the case of Meche we probably suffer from the winner's curse in the long run.

At this point it just feels euphoric to see us in the headlines with significant names attached that others wanted, so buyer's remorse will have to wait.

by chukar on Dec 7, 2006 11:55 PM EST reply actions

He has added

alot of arms both at the K. and in the organization.

I like the signing. Dotel was good in Houston so good in fact that if Wagner wouldn't have been there he would have been their closer. He pitched well at Oakland until the injury. Then he tried to work through it which was a big mistake. If he is only 80% as effective as the first month or so in Oakland he will three steps above whatever we had last year.

Also, he has power arm which Dayton loves.

Go Blue.....

by grudz69 on Dec 7, 2006 11:58 PM EST reply actions

This puts the breaks on

my prediction that Braun would close and be an AL ROY sleeper. Though, if Braun excels in the setup role this year the Royals might do the same thing Baltimore did with the whole Ryan/Ray (who I compare to Braun) scenario. Baltimore knew they had Ray to lean on for the closer position and saved money by not losing much in performance and got a draft pick for Ryan leaving for Toronto.

by Havok1517 on Dec 8, 2006 1:14 AM EST reply actions

yea... but who knows what Bell will decide out of

Spring Trainig
they may not want Dotel to close

by Freneau on Dec 8, 2006 10:39 AM EST up reply actions

An alternative

might have been to offer Schmidt the same $55 million for 3 years. (He is getting only $47 million from the Dodgers for said 3 yrs). Assuming he would have taken that offer, wouldn't you rather have 3 years of Schmidt for basically the same cost as 5 years of Meche + 1 year of Dotel? I think I would. My rationale - ideally, the restocked minor league pitching would be ready to bear fruit in about three years, and one of those prospects would replace Schmidt as an "ace".

Is that better than what we are doing - sorta just "hoping" that Meche is about to blossom into an ace?

by loyal2s dad on Dec 8, 2006 11:05 AM EST reply actions

I guess

the implication is that Schmidt would never have signed with the royals because its a sad-sack franchise in the middle of nowhere
so thats why we have to play this game with meche

having never been offered millions of dollars, i cannot comment on the validity of this theory

by Freneau on Dec 8, 2006 11:20 AM EST up reply actions

That's the same strategy I'd advocate following

Better to get a bonafide star than a pair of bonafide mediocrities.

by marbotty on Dec 8, 2006 11:42 AM EST up reply actions

Bale

If I was fresh out of pitching in Japan for 3 years, I'd take a 2 year contract over 1 year no matter what teams were involved.

by Berroa is the devil on Dec 8, 2006 2:15 PM EST reply actions

Signing of Bale affects Sisco

The signing of Bale will allow Andy Sisco to stay in Omaha where he can develop like he should have been able to 3 years ago. I like the moves for pitching and they aren't done yet. For 2007, when the Royals probably won't set the world on fire, the signing of veterans like Dotel and Bale keep them from bringing up minor leaguers with potential and ruining them.
If DMGM's plan is to stockpile pitching in the minors then he has to buy time on the major league roster. Knowing that injuries will happen, KC has more depth and isn't done yet. They will deal one of the extra OFs before end of spring. Here is a run down of who might be at Omaha and Wichita

Omaha - Lumsden, Greinke, Braun, Sisco, Nunez, Brazelton, delaRosa, Ray, W. Franklin - this group is so much better than the retread list of last year.

Wichita - Hochevar, Buckner, Christensen, Plummer

I hope the Royals can leave the young guys down as long as necessary and let them pitch their way onto the KC roster not have to take a slot because there is no one else.

by daveyork on Dec 8, 2006 6:58 PM EST up reply actions

Hopefully...

Bell figures out how to handle a staff. I'm not saying that Moore should be making lineup and bullpen decisions from the front office but it won't really matter how many good arms Moore brings in if Bell continues to put pitchers in positions to fail vice suceed. Actually I really hope Bell get's fired but the closer it gets to Spring Training the less likely that is. I really don't understand why Moore has allowed the coaching staff to stay mostly intact, that's the one knock I have for Moore so far. He's so used to only dealing with one manager, Bobby Cox, that he really doesn't know what to do when the manager is a retard.

by EricConley on Dec 8, 2006 3:25 PM EST reply actions

BELL IS NOT THE PROBLEM

No manager would have won with that pitching staff. In fact, it's probably a credit to Bell that the team didn't stink even worse. At least this year's team didn't quit on Bell, the way they seemed to quit on Pena every year.

by jbrocato on Dec 8, 2006 3:52 PM EST up reply actions

Buddy is a good manager

He handled the pitching staff as well as could be expected last year. There is only so much you can do when you have no one in the bullpen to stop the bleeding. The Royals were one of the better teams in the second half when players were healthy and they were playing "Buddyball" (ie-hustling, fundamentals).

lordbyronk

by lordbyronk on Dec 8, 2006 10:10 PM EST up reply actions