Octavio Dotel, it was nice knowing you: Dodgers trade him across the hall to Rockies

So what do you think about that Octavio Dotel trade now?

The Dodgers traded right-hander James McDonald and double-A outfielder Andre Lambo to the Pirates for Dotel at the July 31 non-waiver trading deadline.

They kept him for six weeks and then shipped him to the Colorado Rockies before Saturday’s game for a player to be named. Probably not one the quality of McDonald.

Octavio Dotel, we barely knew ye.

Dotel just had to walk down the hall at Dodger Stadium and enter the visitors’ clubhouse, where the Rockies were preparing to play the Dodgers.

"Shortest trip to Colorado he’ll ever make," said Dodgers lameduck Manager Joe Torre.

Dotel had been the closer for the Pirates this season, saving 21 of 26 games. With the Dodgers, he was so-so and never really locked into a specific role.

Dotel, 36, was a short-term answer from the beginning with L.A. He ultimately appeared in 19 games for the Dodgers, going 1-1 with one save and a 3.38  earned-run average.

McDonald, 25, was immediately put into the rotation for the Pirates, where he’s gone 3-4 with a 3.49 ERA in eight starts.

The Dodgers’ two-time minor league player of the year started a total of five games for the Dodgers the last two seasons. He entered last season as their fifth starter, going 1-1 with an 8.78 ERA before coming out of the bullpen for the rest of the season.

Lambo finished this season with the Pirates’ double-A Altoona team, hitting .275 with two home runs and 10 RBIs in 102 at-bats.

Oh, there was one other thing the Dodgers got from Pittsburgh in the deal: $500,000.

-- Steve Dilbeck

Photo: Reliever Octavio Dotel works against the Washington Nationals last month. Credit: Paul Buck / EPA

Comments

[Hollywood Dodger Mark]

This is a new low with an organization reaching newer lows everyday. They couldn't wait until after the series to trade Dotel (after the trading "deadline")?
I guess they needed the Dodger signs today and tomorrow to make sure they beat us. As for trading a 25 year old starter for Dotel and then giving away Dotel in the middle of a series - all I can say is Ned Must Go.

[William L]

Before McCourt and his buffoonish flunky Colletti are done with the Dodgers, they will be the absolute worst club in major league baseball. Selig could step in and stop this stipping of assets, invoking the "good of the game" clause, but of course this snake was the person who got McCourt the franchise in the first place, deliberately passing over the bids of much more solvent and worthy people. I wonder how bad this is actually going to get before it ever starts to get better.

[Bob]

The Dodgers are still being destroyed by these stupid trades. They gave away two good telented young men for an older reliever for just 6 weeks and a player to be named later?? the 500.000 dollars was for the McCourts divorce payments. Lame duck manager Joe Torre is gone and Don Mattingly has no experience as manager and will manage the team for 2011, I think that was just a good buddy move and the Dodgers are going "NO WHERE" in 2011. "Good-bey low life front office and it's owners".!!!!!!!

[Since '58]

Ha ha ha. Curiouser and curiouser.

[kjp]

Dotel was acquired when Balloon Man had devolved into Elmer Fudd, and the organization still had faint hopes of making the playoffs; to get there would require, among other things, something decent out of the bullpen. McDonald was not going to be that. There was hope Dotel might. As the playoffs are gone now, why not deal Dotel? He wasn't in the Dodgers' plans for next year, and the Rockies still think there may be a "this year" for them . . . just as the Dodgers did when they acquired Dotel.

At the time he was dealt, McDonald had shown the Dodgers nothing but that he was not capable of entering their rotation. Passing judgement on dealing Dotel to the Rockies is premature until we learn the identity of the player to be named. You presume this player to be "probably not one the quality of McDonald." We'll see. I myself presume it will be someone offering more than a 1-1 record with an 8.78 ERA.

[Hollywood Dodger Mark]

Steve: I can only presume that an important game like the Rocks and the Dodgers is not on television because:
a) The McCourts are Jewish and it's Yom Kippur
b) Sponsors have bailed
c) No one cares
d) It's already time for Donny Baseball
or
e) Fox originally scheduled it as The Game of the Week, forcing it off of PrimeTicket and KCAL, then, at the last minute dumped the game leaving us with no visual feed of the historic events currently going on at Chavez Ravine.

[Steve Dilbeck]

Hollywood Dodger Mark: Fox dropped the game live, but the Dodgers were still obligated to them. Theyll show it at 4 p.m. on Prime Ticket. If you can watch.

[H.R. Department]

See 'ya.

[Ned's Family]

We don't get it either but...
we still love you, Ned.

[KidKuo]

The funny thing is that Dotel was a no-impact player for the time he was with the Dodgers. I even remembered the Atlanta game where he choked away like his twin brother Broxton. I guessed being a closer on the Pirates, the worst team in baseball, doesn't really mean anything. Garbage in, garbage out.

[alanw19]

I was going to post "this makes no sense."

But hell, I can post that just about anytime the Dodgers do anything these days.

Colletti - unbelievable effort for the team. Fits right in with many.

Folks, as I've said before, it will continue to get worse before it gets better. This is another on that route.

[KoufaxFan]

Dodgers=total laughingstock of baseball.

[Native Angeleno]

FINALLY we get some comments we're fed up with Mr Ned.

You remember Mr Ned, the talking horse's ass?

Don't know which was dumber: Trading Dotel to the team you're playing, or trading for him in the first place. That's a tough one.

[john]

All a "closer" is ....is a relief pitcher that pitches in the 9th inning trying to get the last 3 outs....big deal.

Dotel has been a washed-up relief pitcher for years, I don't know why he's still in the majors....Too much emphasis is spent on relief pitching instead of starting pitching.

Keep this in mind....if these relief pitchers were better than they really are...they would be starting!!! Who cares who the closer is??!! Guys like Mariano Rivera are very few and far between....he pretty much perfected the cutter and that's why he's been successful....most good "closers" are only good for a couple years until they get timed and the batters start teeing off on them.

Strength is in starting pitching...not relief.

[waldobinney]

And, my next comedy act is !!! What a joke !
Guess McBank wanted to save the expense of having Octavios uniform cleaned.

[dave reynolds]

No doubt McDonald will go on to have a fine career and haunt us for years, ala Edwin Jackson.

And the beat goes on....

[Tonyz60chevy]

Don't blame Ned,He's only the piano player, The McCheaps need eevery penney they can squeese out of the Dodgers, so frank could own the team forever,and pass it on to his sons. I don't see this team tuning around untill 2020,that IF this franchise is stil around!