It's an AP article.

So much for trading Dotel this year, or even next year! I thought that he could possibly come back and help us but now we're stuck with $4+ million of nothing. The only good thing from this is now Huston Streets will be the closer.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2074677

I think his contract is trough this season only.  Then he's a free agent.  Zero trade value now.  I thought maybe they would let him leave to get another "compensation" pick in the first round of next years draft since he would have been a type A free agent.  I wonder what the rule is about a player out with an injury?  ,Anyone Know out there in AN land?

I just saved a bundle on my car insurance by switching to Geico!

Seriously, the good news is, he won't command big bucks in free agency anymore. Billy Beane just might be able to sign him to a minor league deal or an incentive-laden contract that might be able to bring him back for el cheapo when he's healthy again. It'll be a low-risk, high-reward signing. I'll take a flyer on Dotel if he's only going to cost us a guaranteed 500K or so.

on KFRC.

Ray Fosse reiterated that two doctors didn't advise surgery, but it's Dotel's decision.

I read on the A's fanhome board that Dotel's contract was insured, so the A's aren't going to lose too much money over this.

what he feels is best forhis career.  We may all want to rip him for it, but there is no loyalty in this buissness. Why should he do what he is uncomfortable with, so the A's can tade him?  I have no problem with him doing this.  If he comes back and deals, for whatever team he is with than more power to him.  I am sure I will get ripped for this one but oh well.  If I was in his position, tried to rehab from a reoccuring injury and it has not worked in the past, I would opt for surgery too.

I think if he really cares about being fair (yeah right)...he should let us void his contract for the rest of THIS year..."Gratitude,in most men, is only a strong secret hope of greater favors"~Woody Allen

I don't know if I can question Dotel's decisions without really knowing the pain, and the details that the public isn't really privy to...but since this is going to cost him a lot of money, I'm inclined to believe he just thinks he's doing what's best for his long-term health; though going against so many doctors certainly is fishy.  Of course, being an A's fan before being a fan of any individual player, I just can't help but be so tremendously disappointed as to how much this hurts us.  Dotel was going to be such a valuable trading chip if he performed at even a mediocre level.  I mean, the Giants had to give two decent pitching prospects just to get Hawkins; and I think most people would rate Dotel (especially if he's throwing 95 with the good slider) head and shoulders above Hawkins.  Basically, I figure this decision costs us at least one really solid pitching prospect or power-hitting OF'er; that's tough to swallow.

If he comes back cheap, this could be a blessing for him and us.  We don't need him this year, and a revitalized Dotel would be better than anything we were going to get for him.

He is going to miss this year.  he will not get a huge contract from anyone.  He can be affordable.  Street is only 21 and as good as he may look, at that age I would not mind seeing him as a set up guy.  If Dotel comes back from this surgery  and is pain free and healthy, he will be one of the best bullpen pitchers out there.  I just think, since we cannot trade him, might as well keep him for a "prove em" year.

right now. Learn to do without him. Street like several of the "prospects" on the team is being thrown in green. He'll either make it or he won't. I won't criticize anyone for dealing with their health issues in their own way.

To lambast Dotel for his decision. Yea, it hurts us pretty bad (and me particularly since I have him in fantasy), but it's his career. He has to do what he thinks is best for his arm, seeing as it's a multi-million dollar commodity. Yea, a number of doctors advised against surgery, but he feels he can't play with that pain level. I can live with that. And if he does resign with us for a minor league contract, then that's great that we get at least some compensation. If not, them's the breaks.

You can imagine my surprise when I read this:

Dotel hopes to be back in a game by the middle of next season, and he hopes it's with the A's. He feels he owes them something to earn his money -- even if his salary is lower and he has to be the setup man for rookie Huston Street, the new closer.

"Hey, if I've got to play for free, I'll do that," he said.

He also accepted the idea that it might be his last day in the Oakland clubhouse.

I think it's really cool that he said that. I didn't think he was that kind of guy - you know a lot of players would just take the cash and run. I have a newfound respect for Octavio.

I picked up Huston Street in my Fantasy league... well, I wish Dotel the best.  I hope he remembers who paid him $4.5 mil for 15 innings and that maybe he feels a little loyalty to us...

I can't get angry with Dotel for this, nor do I think the A's are worse off for his decision.

As others have mentioned, it's his arm and his career. If he misses as much time as everyone expects, he's giving up a lot of money for next year and maybe the year after. Further, both Barry Bonds and Curt Schilling tried to rush back, and look where they are now. It's not fair to say he's quitting on the team. The man pitched in pain for us as long as he could, and that almost surely made his injury worse.

As for the A's-- suppose Dotel had tried to rehab the injury. I have no idea what the timetable is, but I doubt he'd be back and pitching with any sort of effectiveness by the trade deadline. Who would give up anything for him in that situation?

Good luck, Octavio. I hope you make it back sooner rather than later.

...how very Olmedo Saenz of him.

  Like all of you this was disappointing news to hear, but none of us really know the pain he's going through. Actually I do for one, becuase I had the surgery done myself.  Prior to the surgery your arm just feels lifeless.  I was a catcher, so I used my arm a lot, but not as much as a pitcher.
  A large number of people are now angry at Dotel for doing this, but why aren't we piling on Chad Bradford?  He's been out all season.  I know Dotel is going against numerous opinions, but what can we do?
  The worst part of this whole thing is not being able to trade him this season.
  However, if he is true to his word, and he recovers fully, plays for us for less then 4 million, that's a nice 8th inning guy to have behind Street.
   We are playing great baseball this week, and are 4-0 since Crosby has come back, let's forget about Dotel. It is not like he has had anything to do with this winning streak anyway.
   Calero will be back soon, and the bullpen has been very solid even without Calero in it.  
   The winning streak gets a real test tonight!

He's not coming back.  

The A's will get nothing in return.

I will wait to hear more news before passing judgment.  But we may never know the whole truth, and it's not our arm or career.

It's too bad about the draft picks or possible trade, but you really never know.  The players we would have received in return for Dotel, via trade or picks, may never have panned out.  
 

And it was based on what he feels is best for him (apparently not what 4 doctors believed was best for him). It definitely costs the A's in terms of opportunity, when you think that he could have been a great bargaining chip for Billy,possible draft picks, or if he followed the doctor's recommendations, perhaps he could have come back sooner. I guess he has the right to make an "I" decision, and I have the right to not like it.
"Hero: A man who is afraid to run away."~ Mother Theresa

Let's see: Octavio Dotel, for about a month of substandard work, will collect a salary of nearly $3 mil from the A's in 2005. Moreover, they will get no draft compensation for him, no insurance money, and obviously won't be able to trade him.

In the words of the Chron's Susan Slusser: By opting for surgery, "Dotel is going against the recommendations of two team doctors and two renowned arm experts."

Now he "graciously" told BB that after he rehabs some 1-2 years down the line, he would pitch "free" for the A's. Why doesn't he do that in 2005 and return a pro-rated sum of his $2.8 salary? After all, Dotel has rejected the evaluation of two team doctors and world famous MD experts. And in doing so, the A's get next-to-nothing for their money.

Looks like for two straight seasons, the A's have been ripped-off by closers: First Foulked by Foulke's pretense of bargaining when he really wanted to be paid top dollar by the BoSox and now by Don't Tell Me Dotel's rejection of expert medical advice.

I'd say the A's would have a good case in court not to compensate this freeloader...

It's not that he wants surgery.  That aspect doesn't really bother me so much.  It's just that knowing the advice of these four doctors, and knowing he'd be out for 1-2 YEARS, he's still not willing to at least try rehab before electing to go under the knife.  That's just disappointing.

It's better to let him have the surgery than to blow more saves.  We're much better off with Street , Calero and Duch healthy than an injured Dotel.  Anyone remeber two ghuys named Millar and Varitek?

Any genuis that says Beane should void his contract is incredibly ignorant.  Go blog on ESPN with lame comments like that.  His arm is jacked.  It's not like he was going to pitch tommorow, HE IS INJURED.  He would have missed so much time anyway.  Now we can clear a roster spot for him.

Am I the only one who felt that he did not really want to be here anyway?  Now he can shop himself to a number of teams, instead of ending up whereever Billy sent him, which we all knew was happeneing.

to bag on people from the sidelines.
the man is obviously in pain.
how many players out there would have even made the gesture that he did?  
good luck OD.

"I hope I can come back and earn my money," Dotel said. "[Even] if I've gotta be a setup man for Street."

Dotel went as far as to say he'd pitch for the A's for free next season if he's able to beat the standard recovery time, and he told Beane the same thing.

"A noble gesture," Beane said. "Let's hope we both have that option. ... These surgeries do take a long time to come back from."

Surgery or rehab or continue pitching in pain? No option he chose would help the A's this year.

NOVEMBER 18, 1966....Los Angeles Dodgers' pitching ace Sandy Koufax, age 30, announces his retirement at a news conference in Los Angeles. Koufax goes on the voluntary retires list and foregoes his $125,000 salary for 1967. The hard throwing left-hander says he wants to quit now before risking any further damage to his arthritic left elbow. He first experienced trouble with the elbow in 1964.
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How come he didn't try to pitch with a prosthetic arm before abandoning the Dodgers like that?