Maybe The Sleeper Move Of The Offseason

It may not seem big now, but it could be huge....

NEW YORK (AP) Reliever Octavio Dotel agreed to a one-year, $2 million contract with the New York Yankees on Thursday after beginning last season with Oakland but not pitching past May because of major elbow surgery.
Dotel, a 32-year-old free agent, joins a Yankee bullpen that was erratic all season. He will earn another $250,000 once he is added to the active major league roster.
The right-hander was 1-2 with a 3.52 earned run average in 15 games for Oakland in 2005 before being placed on the disabled list May 19 and undergoing Tommy John surgery on his right elbow.
In his 15 appearances, he limited opposing batters to a .185 average and held right-handed hitters to just three hits in 28 at-bats (.107). He has 481 strikeouts in 389 2-3 innings as reliever since the 2001 season, the most in the majors.
Dotel has played parts of seven seasons with the Mets (1999), Astros (2000-04) and Athletics (2004-05).

I liken this to the Lieber signing in 2003. We don't win the division without him in 2004. This could be just as big. Adding a power-arm like that to bullpen in the middle of season could help the Yankees running away from the pack in '06.

Toronto is going be tougher with the additions of BJ Ryan, Troy Glaus and AJ Burnett and despite their problems Boston will be in the hunt as well. But I like Cashman's foresight on this one. Just when you think Farnsworth or Sturtze are going to collapse from overuse, you can possibly throw out a power arm like Dotel. If it works, he looks like a genius. If it doesn't, the Yanks are only out $2 million. A potential win-win if you ask me.

On an unrelated note...Say goodbye to my social life. I just bought myself a Playstation 2. My liver needs a rest and this is the only way I can think to keep myself in the house this winter. I know the Imperial Vixens out there and my Infidel Slave harem will be heartbroken. But hopefully, a thinner, healthier Darth Marc will be able to make up for lost time in the spring...