There's been a lot of mixed reactions to the acquisition and to be honest I'm still a little bit on the fence about it. Looking from a strictly dollars-for-talent viewpoint it doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Dotel will be making closer's money next year, and based on his lefty/righty splits alone, it seems like a fucking horrible idea to give the closer reigns to him. Let's take a look at his career splits against right and left handed batters:
Lefties:
- WHIP: 1.49
- K/9: 9.44
- BB/9: 5.59
- AVG: .236
- FIP: 4.66
- WHIP: 0.99
- K/9: 12.28
- B/9: 2.70
- AVG: .196
- FIP: 2.95
There are other things to consider with the acquisition, however. For one, it should be safe to assume that Dotel will retain his Type B status for next year (especially if he gets some closing opportunities) and will earn the Jays a supplemental draft pick next year if they decline his option. Which they will. The other thing to consider is that th Blue Jays - and Rogers - apparently have an endless supply of money, so why the fuck do we (as fans) care about them overpaying for a a pitcher who should be used strictly against right-handed batters. If he can continue his dominance against righties then the team will have an incredibly valuable option coming out of the bullpen, and if we're to believe what we've been told abut Rogers' willingness to spend, then Dotel's salary shouldn't be an issue regardless of whether or not he's closing next year.
There's little doubt that Dotel will be given an opportunity to be te Jays' everyday closer next year, but over the course of the season those career numbers will start to show. Let's hope John Farrell and Alex Anthopolous are prepared to use the veteran reliever the way he should be used, and avoid a Brian Tallet-esque disaster like last year.
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