Astros sign Dotel and Ward for one year HOUSTON -- Reliever Octavio Dotel and outfielder Daryle Ward avoided salary arbitration by agreeing to one-year deals with the Houston Astros on Thursday. Dotel will be paid $1.6 million next season and Ward will get $1.35 million. Dotel can earn an additional $50,000 in performance bonuses, $25,000 each for appearing in 60 and 70 games. Dotel, a 29-year-old right-hander, was 6-4 with a 1.85 ERA and six saves in an Astros-record 83 appearances last season. He led all major leaguers with 118 strikeouts and ranked second with 97 1/3 innings pitched. Ward, 27, batted .276 with 12 home runs and a career-high 72 RBI in 136 games. Both players came to terms one day before the deadline for exchanging salary figures. The value of the contracts wasn't immediately available. The signing leaves the Astos with two arbitration-eligible players, infielders Geoff Blum and Julio Lugo. http://espn.go.com/mlb/news/2002/0320/1355181.html
The value of the contracts wasn't immediately available. Hmm... Dotel will be paid $1.6 million next season and Ward will get $1.35 million. Dotel can earn an additional $50,000 in performance bonuses, $25,000 each for appearing in 60 and 70 games. I agree with Raven. What the hell? We should have signed Dotel to a long-term deal of some sort. If we lose him next year and keep Wagner somehow, I'm gonna be pissed.
Well, without Dotel, our bullpen is pretty weak. Also ,Ward is one of a million outfielders we have and put up sub-par numbers last season. We still need a starting pitcher.
That's exactly my point. Ward's yearly salary shouldn't be anywhere near Dotel's at this point. Ward may be a position player, and therefore he is on a higher scale than Dotel, but Dotel was one of the best (arguably THE best) setup men in the league last season...and Daryle Ward was fat. I think Dotel should be making closer to a million more than Ward. And I'm with Major...no reason to not lock up Dotel to a longterm contract right now (with the Astros, that means 3 years max...but that's still better than 1 year).
I think they meant that the value of the contracts that each side were to propose before the arbitrator were not known. I think after the Kent deal, the Astros were hesitant to give out anymore long term contracts with the attendance expected to drop in the coming years. I predict right here, that Billy Wanger will be gone at the end of next season, if not some time during the season.
Sorry I missed your point Raven. I agree with you totally. We can always dream....I have have firmly believed that Wags has been a super expensive luxury. That money could have been spent on bigger needs. I do applaud Drayton for resigning our own free-agents the last couple of years.
Wonder if Dotel will eventually leave for a team that will allow him to be a closer? He could have been a top 7 closer last year, imo.
Why couldnt they have just traded Ward and used the extra dough to lock up Dotel to a long term deal. Aren't Miller or Oswalt free agents after this season? If they are, how are we gonna resign them to long term deals and lock up Dotel to one too? Its freakin Drayton and his costcutting moves. Why doesnt he just sell the team to someone who wants to bring a World Series Championship to Houston.
Oswalt will not be arbitration eligible after this season, Miller may be. Neither are free agents to be. Dotel just received a RECORD deal for a set up man in his first arbitration eligible season. Both sides are pleased with the deal. Dotel still cannot leave for free agancy, even after this season. Both of their contracts are extremely fair.
Dont get me wrong. Its not like I am a Wagner detractor. But hell be 31 after this coming season. With his bread and butter being his fastball, I am guessing he only has a a few more years left as a "dominant" closer. Couple that with the fact that he has a high contract in conjunction with the necessity to sign Oswalt and Miller to long term deals, and Wagner looks to be the odd man out. Of course, Biggio's salary will be off the books after next season and who knows if Ausmus will be here after next year (will Buck be ready to take over by then?). So perhaps the Stros wont be as desperate to get rid of excess salary. Also, with Boras now representing Dotel, I am sure demands will be made after next season that he be paid like a closer. If thats the case, I am sure Dotel would become the closer and Wagner will be expendable. Coming the trading deadline, if we are out of contention, I would be suprised if Wagner is not shopped.
Name me one owner who would be ok with losing money in the hope that it will result in a championship. NOBODY. Not even Steinbrenner would increase the Astros payroll much. It's called operating a business.
No sense replying to folks like Tigereye. He is complaining about an owner's "cost-cutting" when he just signs his setup man to a record deal.
His no trade is up this season and he has stated that he would accept a trade to certain teams from what I read in the Chronicle of late. His salary will become irrelevant near the trade deadline if he's still healthy and productive. To a playoff team with closer problems, he will be a bargain, especially to an Atlanta or Mets but even to an Oakland. Getting a guy in August who can save 20 games for you is a godsend.
I just wanted to preserve your quote . Actually, by getting Ward signed without the uncertainty of arbitration, he is more tradeable now than he was a week ago.
