Former Pirates closer Octavio Dotel retires

Octavio Dotel has retired, Chris Cotillo reports. Any number of fan bases will have fond memories of Dotel, who pitched for the Mets, Astros, Athletics, Yankees, Royals, Braves, White Sox, Pirates, Dodgers, Rockies, Blue Jays, Cardinals and Tigers. Aaron Gleeman points out that Dotel had a better career strikeout rate (10.8 K/9) than any other righty to throw at least 900 innings.

The Pirates signed Dotel prior to the 2010 season to be their closer. That worked out pretty well for a few months, and Neal Huntington shipped Dotel to Los Angeles for James McDonald and Andrew Lambo in a trade that for a couple years was widely regarded as a steal for the Pirates. It didn't quite turn out that way, of course. McDonald flamed out in 2013 and missed this season with shoulder trouble, and the Pirates still haven't carved out a role for Lambo despite his strong hitting in Triple-A. The Pirates still got good value, though -- as frustrating as McDonald was, he posted 3.0 WAR for the Pirates over two and a half years. And the Bucs ultimately replaced Dotel with Joel Hanrahan, a move that turned out well for them.

In any case, Dotel is now 40, and he didn't pitch in the majors in 2014. Here's wishing him luck in the next phase of his life.