TORONTO - If you were uneasy watching Kevin Gregg try to slam the door in the ninth, get ready to pace some more.
The Blue Jays will ask Octavio Dotel to lean, push and shut the door as their closer in 2011.
The Jays have agreed to a one-year, $3.5-million US contract with Dotel which won’t be official until he takes a physical next week, according to ESPNDeportes.com.
While Gregg arrived in Toronto with a 79% conversion rate (85-for-107) and saved 86% of his opportunities (37-for-43) this season, the Jays decided not to pick up his $4.5-million option. Gregg is close to signing a multi-year deal with the Baltimore Orioles.
Dotel, who turned 37 last month, has a 70% success rate closing games (105-150). In 2010, Dotel had 22 saves in 28 chances for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Los Angeles Dodgers and Colorado Rockies.
In his 12-season career, which also included 34 starts with the New York Mets and the Houston Astros in his first two seasons, Dotel has only reached 30 or more saves once, when he had 14 for the Astros and 22 for the Oakland A’s in 2004, converting 36 of 45 chances.
Dotel also has an option of $3.5 million or a $750,000 buyout for 2012.
Dotel has allowed 187 hits in 224 innings over the past four seasons with the Kansas City Royals, the Atlanta Braves, the Chicago White Sox, Pirates, Dodgers and Rockies, averaging 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings.
However, he has also walked 109 hitters, while allowing 32 homers.
The Jays have an option in Jason Frasor, who saved 17 games in 2004, his first year with the Jays. Frasor was given the closer’s job to open the 2010 season but soon lost it to Gregg.
“Octavio is excited about playing for a team that will give him the opportunity to close games in the strongest division,” Dominic Torres told ESPNDeportes.com.
