Despite being in-the-tank apostles of the Mighty Greek Deity, there is a lot for all of us to hate about the Octavio Dotel signing. Mostly because he's pretty awful, most of the time.
One cannot deny his ability to rack up the Ks, a trait I love. But at some point you have to wonder, who cares? He's old, he gives up way too many fly balls and too many walks. The fly balls are the bigger problem, as he induces none double plays while giving up many home runs. The taters soar no matter his ballpark, so there isn't much hope of that improving.
Parkes lays bare the biggest problem with Dotel at Getting Blanked: he can't get lefties out. And, as you can see above, that's not easy in the American League East. It isn't easy anywhere, but the collection of talent in the AL East is nothing to sneeze at.
Whether you put a tremendous amount of stock in one terrible year's worth of numbers or not, it is hard to argue that Dotel has a hard time retiring lefties. In the end game situations he'll (presumably) pitch, that's a problem.
There is no shortage of lethal lefties waiting to emerge from the various dugouts of the Eastern Seaboard. No doubt the draft pick payoff is an easy and convenient way to explain this signing away. But that is no way to live.
Suffering through a well-worn reliever to earn a draft pick down the road is reason enough to overhaul the antiquated compensation system. Sandwich picks don't cleanse the bitter taste of soiled sheets.
Images courtesy of Yahoo! Sports
