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Octavio Dotel Signs With White Sox

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UPDATE, 1-21-08 at 2:29pm: According to Ken Rosenthal, this deal is done, though the AP won’t quite confirm it.  Sox Machine debates the pros and cons of the signing and ultimately doesn’t mind it.

UPDATE, 1-18-08 at 2:27pm: Scott Merkin at MLB.com talked to Dotel’s agent, who will only say that Dotel is in the mix.  No deal has been reached.  Apparently six teams are in "active discussions" about Dotel.

FROM 1-18-08 at 7:15am:

According to Impacto Deportivo, the White Sox have signed Octavio Dotel to a two-year, $11MM deal.  The 32 year-old reliever had a 4.11 ERA and 12.0 K/9 in 30.2 innings last year.

The White Sox have decided to buy a bullpen this year, always a risky move.  Dotel can still bring it; it’s just a question of health.  He dealt with shoulder and oblique strains last year, and had Tommy John in June of ’05.  The White Sox seem to have a good medical staff, and they’ll be crucial in making this signing pay off. 

Odds and Ends: Colon, Byrd, Sosa, Wilkerson

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Some random links and whatnot for Saturday…

  • Joe Cowley says the White Sox have backed off on Bartolo Colon because he wants a two-year deal.  He believes the Royals are the frontrunner.
  • Rangers guru Jamey Newberg doesn’t think Marlon Byrd would be enough to get Matt Murton from the Cubs.
  • The Rangers might’ve entertained Sammy Sosa in a limited role, but he’s looking for 400-500 plate appearances.  Good luck with that!
  • Heard an unconfirmed whisper that the Red Sox may have some interest in Brad Wilkerson.
  • RotoAuthority takes a fantasy baseball look at Yovani Gallardo and Tim Lincecum.

Odds and Ends: Hendrickson, Soria, Sherrill

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Here’s today’s random collection of links.

  • The Marlins signed Mark Hendrickson as the veteran leadership guy for ’08, at a cost of $1.5MM.  He was knocked around in 15 starts for the Dodgers in ’07 but was solid in the pen.  The Marlins will put him in the rotation, perhaps to tutor fellow southpaws Andrew Miller and Scott Olsen.
  • Craig Brown would like to see the Royals use Joakim Soria as a starter.
  • There is a theory that the Mariners’ signing of Arthur Rhodes will allow them to trade George Sherrill in an Erik Bedard deal.  Seems a half-baked theory, wherever it originated.  I don’t think Sherrill is holding this deal up.
  • An argument for the Nate Robertson extension from Danny Knobler, and one against from J.C. Bradbury.  Also, Peter Abraham thinks Chien Ming-Wang’s agent will use Robertson as a comparable.
  • The White Sox are still considering Bartolo Colon, according to ESPN Radio’s Bruce Levine.
  • Pat Burrell would love to re-sign with the Phillies after this season.  Pat, by the way, doesn’t have a computer and owes his second half success to "more hits."
  • Phil Hughes has a computer, and even a new blog.  Not much going on over there yet though.

Mailbag: Roberts, Teixeira, Johan, Nathan, And More

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Time for this week’s mailbag.  You can hit it up at mlbtrmailbag@gmail.com to get in your question for next week.

Do you see the Twins signing a big name middle of the order bopper or trading for one before the opening of the new stadium in 2010? – Jordan

Funny you ask this.  I recently asked LEN3 whether the Twins would have a $100MM payroll for the 2010 season, and he said, "I don’t see it."  So I’ll go with his wisdom and say business as usual for the Twins despite the stadium.

Why are the White Sox not aggressively pursuing any pitching? Do they realistically think that Gavin Floyd and John Danks can hold down the #4 and #5 spots in the rotation on a contender? I believe we need to fill the holes with some veteran pitching such as Livan Hernandez who can eat up innings and possibly add Corey Patterson at center field. – Joel

I was just discussing this with a former coworker of mine.  I can’t see the White Sox sneaking into a Wild Card berth with this rotation, but what’s the alternative?  I don’t like the Livan idea.  I would consider signing a couple of swingmen/injury risk types such as Brett Tomko or Bartolo Colon if he looks decent.  Just a few low risk/OK reward guys with good stuff who could pay off.  There’s no place for Patterson in the current Chicago outfield, I wouldn’t do that.

Were the Cubs holding off on the Brian Roberts trade until they got Lieber? – Bryant

The Cubs/Roberts thing still seems possible, and trading both Sean Marshall and Sean Gallagher is slightly easier to stomach with Lieber on board.  If I were Jim Hendry I would let the whole Roberts idea go though.

What is the likelihood of the Braves signing Mark Teixeira long-term? – Matthew

I’ll put it at a 10% chance.  This is a $100MM+ contract and he’s represented by Scott Boras.  He’ll probably want to test the open market, and there could be some ridiculous bids.

When, just when will this Santana situation be over?!  It’s just killing me! – Dan

We all feel your pain Dan.  Most folks seem sick of reading similar rehashed rumors about this.  I would be surprised if we don’t know Santana’s fate one month from now.  Of course if his fate is to start the season with the Twins, then the rumors will restart in June.

Are there any trade rumors involving Joe Nathan? – Justin

C’mon Justin, you know I’d never hold out rumors on you.  If Bill Smith is shopping Nathan around or getting inquiries, all parties are running very tight ships.  Desperation for closers seems to kick in midseason, when certain bullpens are established as clearly crappy.  So guys like Nathan and Huston Street may be more likely to be moved in June or July.

Why did the Josh Beckett/Mike Lowell for Hank Blalock/John Danks deal fall through back in November of ’05? – Oliver

The Rangers believed the deal was done, and hoped to avoid any leaks before it was official.  However, a source tipped off the Palm Beach Post.  The Post and a Texas newspaper ran with it.  It was at that point the Boston front office found out, swooped in, and beat the Rangers’ offer.  Those reporters altered history.

What do you see the Milwaukee Brewers doing with their pitching surplus?  Do you see them maybe using some of their excess pitchers like Capuano and Bush to acquire a young catcher with some upside? – Tyler

We’ve seen it a million times – these winter pitching surpluses turn into deficits by May.  There is certainly a case to be made for the Brewers to just stand pat, though all those arms would be tough to squeeze in given the bullpen acquisitions.  MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy expects some of the surplus to be traded before Spring Training.  I like the catcher idea – Jeff Clement (Mariners), Bryan Anderson (Cardinals), or Taylor Teagarden/Gerald Laird (Rangers) seem like possible matches.

Do the Yankees sign Bobby Abreu after the 2008 season? – Andrew

Andrew notes that the Yanks have some money coming off the books after the ’08 season.  The right field alternatives are weak, so Abreu could make sense.  If he’d take a two or three-year extension midseason I could see Cashman doing it.

Did you ever sell your place in Lombard? – Steve

Thankfully I did.  I tried selling by owner for a month and barely got any bites.  Then I hired an agent and she sold it in three days.

Perrotto’s Latest: Sabathia, Varitek, Crede, Villone

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John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus checks in with his usual Sunday column.  He’s got some new hot stove material to consider.

  • Perrotto says the Indians are holding firm at an offer of four years plus an option for C.C. Sabathia.  As of a week ago, the Indians were said to have an offer on the table for him.  I suggested that the Tribe might top out around four years, $72MM plus an option for 2013.
  • Perrotto writes that "Boston is expected to sign catcher Jason Varitek to a two-year extension worth around $20 million."  Varitek could retire after that.
  • Perrotto suggests that Joe Crede is on the Giants’ radar if they don’t re-sign Pedro Feliz (hat tip South Side Sox).  Crede seems like he’ll be involved in one of those late Spring Training deals, given the need to prove his health.
  • The Yankees, Mets, and Pirates are interested in free agent lefty reliever Ron Villone.

White Sox Eyeing Bartolo Colon

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WHBF-TV, a CBS affiliate for the Quad Cities, reports that Ozzie Guillen was present in the Dominican Republic yesterday to watch Bartolo Colon pitch.  Guillen was sent to gauge Colon’s health.

Health is the reason the Mets reportedly backed off on Colon.  The big righty pitched for the White Sox in 2003, racking up 242 innings with a 3.87 ERA.  Chicago’s rotation could use a little depth, in Ken Rosenthal’s opinion.

Angels Discussing Konerko?

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UPDATE, 1-10-08 at 9:45am: This one isn’t dead quite yet.  According to Buster Olney this morning:

Heard that while the Paul Konerko-Angels talks are not blistering hot now, there is a chance they will get hot sometime in the future.

UPDATE, 1-5-08 at 10:17pm: Kenny Williams said tonight that he hasn’t spoken to anyone with the Angels since the Winter Meetings, and that he hasn’t had trade talks about Konerko this winter.  Nor has he been asked about his first baseman.

UPDATE, 1-5-08 at 10:33am: Doug Padilla of the Daily Breeze has a source confirming the talks described below.

FROM 1-4-08 at 7:41pm:

Just got a solid tip that the Angels and White Sox are discussing a possible Paul Konerko deal.  No idea how serious these talks may be.

The Angels made an offer to Konerko in the winter of 2005-06, when he was a free agent.  Konerko does have a limited no-trade clause to consider.

Some names being bandied about include Ervin Santana, Howie Kendrick, and Chone Figgins. Of course, all three would not be in the deal. The Sox also seek relief help.  Moving Konerko would mean putting Nick Swisher at first base, while Figgins could be the leadoff hitter the Sox are after.

Giants’ Talks With Feliz Stall

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According to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle, talks between the Giants and free agent third baseman Pedro Feliz are stalling.  The parties have now passed a Giants-imposed deadline, apparently because the Giants wouldn’t go three years on him.  Even a two-year offer would be a mistake.  Bringing him back in general seems an odd idea.

Schulman suggests that Scott Rolen or Joe Crede could now become trade targets for Brian Sabean.  What is this team’s direction?

Odds and Ends: Lima, Clemens, Pagan

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Some links of interest this evening…

Odds and Ends: Cameron, Inge, Bay

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Here are some random rumors and links I’ve cobbled together today.

  • The Fish officially signed Jorge Cantu to a minor-league deal worth $500K with $100K in incentives.
  • The Cardinals re-upped Aaron Miles for $1.4 mil.  This team needs some good middle infielders.
  • According to Tyler Kepner, Alex Rodriguez has been "privately endorsing" Mike Cameron.  Well, it’s not private anymore!  The Yankees could entertain such a signing if they trade Melky Cabrera but don’t want to move Johnny Damon back to center.  Kepner’s article also discusses the internal struggle between Hank and Hal Steinbrenner.  Hank wants Johan Santana, Hal wants to show a little financial restraint.

  • Lynn Henning digs into the Brandon Inge situation, with help from the always-insightful Keith Law.  Henning believes Inge would view a shift back to catcher "with contempt."
  • Scott Wuerz runs through various possible Cardinals targets.  He notes that the Pirates had considered the White Sox their best possible trade partner for Jason Bay, and are disappointed by Chicago’s Nick Swisher acquisition.
  • Seems that Bartolo Colon has yet to crack 90 mph in the Dominican Winter League.
  • There are rumblings that the Astros are considering bringing Freddy Garcia back.
  • R.J. Anderson snagged an interesting interview with Paul DePodesta.
  • Minor League guru and MLB.com senior writer Jonathan Mayo has a new book coming out about what it’s like to face Roger Clemens.  I’m going to do a Q&A with Jonathan next week; if you have any good question ideas leave ’em in the comments.  By the way, Mayo finished his book before the Mitchell Report came out.
  • Yankees fans – Ray Istorico has an illustrated history of the early Yankees coming out in a few months.
  • I will be appearing on XM Radio’s MLB Home Plate show on Sunday around 2:25 CST.
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