Pirates Make Offer to ‘Self-Confident’ Octavio Dotel

Octavio Dotel has been an effective set man who recovered from Tommy John surgery a few years ago.  NBC Sports  is reporting the Bucs are interested in him being the closer.    He is 36 years old.  (Heh, there is the veteran presence everyone says we need so desperately.)   [Fan Graphs Octavio Dotel]

He got $6 million to not be the closer with the Sox.  The deal is reported at $3 million plus incentives from the Bucs.  The allure of the closer Octavio…imagine the entrance music again my friend, 19,000 screaming fans on the edge of their seats…

Leadership?  Sure we can argue about that.  Streaky?  Yeh, he is.  But there is no doubting this guy is a leader in his household.  Check out this story on Dotel regarding being signed as a big leaguer and the loss of his father  from the Aug 15, 1999 NY Daily News

"Emilio Dotel, however, was not in the habit of making unannounced stops at the end of his evening taxi-cab shift. Almost always, he returned home by 8 p.m.“Every time he stayed away from the house he called,” Octavio Dotel said. “And that time he didn’t call.”Maria Dotel did not hear from her husband at all that day. Nor did any of her five children. Finally, the following day, the family learned that police found his body in roadside bushes about five miles from the family’s modest home, Octavio Dotel said. Three men had entered the 53-year-old Dotel’s cab just before the end of his shift and demanded money. When he refused, they strangled him, stole approximately $100, dumped his body and stole the car."