The Pirates recent loss of Matt Capps' led all Pirate fans to expect Joel Hanrahan to be the closer in 2010. Apparently, that's not good enough for Neil Huntington and company. NBC Sports reports that the Pirates made an offer to Octavio Dotel and want him to be the closer. The offer is reportedly worth 3 million, with extra incentives for more money based on performance.
This certainly came as a surprise to me, not that the Pirates were offering Dotel a contract, but that they would crown him closer this early. I fully expected Hanrahan to be given a chance regardless of who they signed. My guess is that they are offering Dotel the closer job just to up their chances of signing him. I can't say I completely agree with this move, but I can definitely see the positives.
Dotel spent his last two seasons with the Chicago White Sox in a set-up role. Last year Dotel pitched 62.1 innings and posted a 3.32 ERA. He had a beautiful K/9 rate at 10.8, however he was a little wild with a 5.2 BB/9 rate.
While the ERA and strikeout rate are certainly closer-material, he hasn't consistently pitched in the 9th inning since 2007. He is a 37 year old veteran, so there is little doubt that he can handle the job mentally. He has 83 saves in his 11 seasons, with his highest total being 36 in 2004.
Despite possibly being unfair to Joel Hanrahan, the signing of Octavio Dotel could really strengthen the Pirates bullpen. Management sees a need there, and they are doing their best to fill it. Their are definitely bullpen options out there that the Pirates could get for less money, but 3 million is definitely reasonable for an established back-of-the-bullpen arm like Dotel.
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