This is an interesting pick up. Dotel had a rough year last season. He had elbow surgery, and he was hardly spectacular in 2005. The good news is, prior to this past season, Dotel was one of the best relievers in the game. He has 725 strikeouts in 600 1/3 innings and he’s held batters to a .213 clip.
Dotel won’t be ready until July at the earliest. He’ll be getting $2 million with another $3 million in potential performance bonuses. So the Yankees could have three “closer” quality relievers in their bullpen after the All Star break next season. If this works out, the Yankees will have the best triumvirate of relievers in the league.
I was a little surprised to see Bernie Williams decline arbitration. I was hoping to see him back next season, even if it was in a more limited capacity. Williams is definitely a class act and in his prime, he was one of the best players in the league.
