GaryMrMets
12-30-2005, 02:36 PM
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/story/378813p-321739c.html
Calls help close
deal with Dotel
BY ANTHONY McCARRON
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
The Yankee recruiting call, where Joe Torre or a superstar player phones a prospective free agent touting the benefits of playing in the Bronx, has become the stuff of myth in recent years, with Jason Giambi and Mike Mussina saying the chats helped bring them to the Bronx.
But a deluge of calls may have been most effective in landing a lesser name - reliever Octavio Dotel. The Yankees, who reached an agreement with Dotel on a one-year deal worth $2.25 million last week, announced the contract yesterday, giving them what they hope is a second power arm along with Kyle Farnsworth to set up for Mariano Rivera.
There was a lot of competition for Dotel, so GM Brian Cashman said calls from first base coach Tony Pena, Torre and Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson were exceptionally meaningful. "We had more people talk to him than anybody, to be honest, and it may have taken all of that because the competition on the player was so heavy and I had to drag my price up, too," Cashman said.
Dotel, who was 1-2 with seven saves and a 3.52 ERA for the A's last season before undergoing Tommy John surgery in June, was courted by, among others, the Red Sox, Mets, Cardinals and Indians. It's believed the Red Sox offered $500,000 more than the Yankees after Dotel had agreed to a deal with the Yanks.
Dotel, 32, will earn a $2 million salary and $250,000 when he is added to the active roster, and he can make up to $3 million more in performance bonuses. But he's going to have to prove he's healthy again after the ligament replacement surgery. The Yankees hope he's ready to contribute by midseason, though his agent has been quoted as saying Dotel's doctors have targeted late April.
"We're taking a little bit of a risk here, betting on the back end a little," Cashman said. "Until he's back, you never know, but he's a competitor and he had great ability before and we're hopeful he comes back. He's worked hard in his rehab, that was evident in his physical (exam)."
The Yankees have been successful in the past signing pitchers who have healed on their dime - Jon Lieber won 14 games for the Bombers in 2004 after rehabbing the entire 2003 season.
"You have to take each case one by one," Cashman said. "Certainly in Jon's case it worked, and we're hopeful it will here. We're not anticipating Dotel ready at the start of the season. Ten to 14 months is typical for recovery. It could be as early as 10, meaning April, but that would be aggressive and we're not looking to be aggressive. We want him when he's ready."
Dotel debuted with the Mets in 1999 and was dealt in the Mike Hampton trade that December. He has closed for both the Astros and A's. Since the 2001 season, Dotel has 481 strikeouts in 398-2/3 innings as a reliever, the most in the major leagues - Billy Wagner is second with 418 strikeouts. In his career, Dotel has struck out 10.87 batters per nine innings, thanks in large part to a fastball that reaches the upper 90s. The Yankees hope he still has that pitch.
Originally published on December 30, 2005
http://www.nydailynews.com/ips_rich_content/643-dotel_yankees.JPG
Octavio Dotel was Oakland's closer before Tommy John surgery.
Calls help close
deal with Dotel
BY ANTHONY McCARRON
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
The Yankee recruiting call, where Joe Torre or a superstar player phones a prospective free agent touting the benefits of playing in the Bronx, has become the stuff of myth in recent years, with Jason Giambi and Mike Mussina saying the chats helped bring them to the Bronx.
But a deluge of calls may have been most effective in landing a lesser name - reliever Octavio Dotel. The Yankees, who reached an agreement with Dotel on a one-year deal worth $2.25 million last week, announced the contract yesterday, giving them what they hope is a second power arm along with Kyle Farnsworth to set up for Mariano Rivera.
There was a lot of competition for Dotel, so GM Brian Cashman said calls from first base coach Tony Pena, Torre and Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson were exceptionally meaningful. "We had more people talk to him than anybody, to be honest, and it may have taken all of that because the competition on the player was so heavy and I had to drag my price up, too," Cashman said.
Dotel, who was 1-2 with seven saves and a 3.52 ERA for the A's last season before undergoing Tommy John surgery in June, was courted by, among others, the Red Sox, Mets, Cardinals and Indians. It's believed the Red Sox offered $500,000 more than the Yankees after Dotel had agreed to a deal with the Yanks.
Dotel, 32, will earn a $2 million salary and $250,000 when he is added to the active roster, and he can make up to $3 million more in performance bonuses. But he's going to have to prove he's healthy again after the ligament replacement surgery. The Yankees hope he's ready to contribute by midseason, though his agent has been quoted as saying Dotel's doctors have targeted late April.
"We're taking a little bit of a risk here, betting on the back end a little," Cashman said. "Until he's back, you never know, but he's a competitor and he had great ability before and we're hopeful he comes back. He's worked hard in his rehab, that was evident in his physical (exam)."
The Yankees have been successful in the past signing pitchers who have healed on their dime - Jon Lieber won 14 games for the Bombers in 2004 after rehabbing the entire 2003 season.
"You have to take each case one by one," Cashman said. "Certainly in Jon's case it worked, and we're hopeful it will here. We're not anticipating Dotel ready at the start of the season. Ten to 14 months is typical for recovery. It could be as early as 10, meaning April, but that would be aggressive and we're not looking to be aggressive. We want him when he's ready."
Dotel debuted with the Mets in 1999 and was dealt in the Mike Hampton trade that December. He has closed for both the Astros and A's. Since the 2001 season, Dotel has 481 strikeouts in 398-2/3 innings as a reliever, the most in the major leagues - Billy Wagner is second with 418 strikeouts. In his career, Dotel has struck out 10.87 batters per nine innings, thanks in large part to a fastball that reaches the upper 90s. The Yankees hope he still has that pitch.
Originally published on December 30, 2005
http://www.nydailynews.com/ips_rich_content/643-dotel_yankees.JPG
Octavio Dotel was Oakland's closer before Tommy John surgery.