Rays Interested in Scott Dohmann?

by Patrick L. Kennedy on Jan 3, 2007 1:06 AM EST

A newspaper-only article in Sunday's edition of the St. Petersburg Times reports that the Rays could have interest in signing reliever Scott Dohmann, the former Rockie who was not tendered a contract by Kansas City. The team thinks he could be a good signing late in the offseason, while upgrading the bullpen. Why they think this, I don't know.

D'oh!-mann

Aside from the simplistic "why would we want a guy who the Royals let go", the statistics further lend doubt as to why we would make this signing. Dohmann, 29 on February 13th, was drafted by the Rockies organization in the 6th round of the 2000 amateur draft, split last season between Colorado and Kansas City, having been traded to the Royals along with Jeremy Affeldt and Denny Bautista.

So, you ask, why would we want him? Good question. To be fair, Dohmann has a track record of consistently high K/9 rates. In three years in the major leagues, his career average K/9 is 9.19, and his career low last year was 8.19. However he also has an aversion to control, as evidenced by his 5.10 career BB/9 and 6.14 mark last year. He also has a 1.65 career HR/9 and 1.63 career WHIP.

So with all that, why would we want him? This really doesn't please me to hear that the team is trying to cover the failed free agent runs at Octavio Dotel and David Riske with vastly inferior personnel. The constant stream of dead end relievers needs to stop. Brian Meadows, Scott Dohmann, six of one, a half dozen of the other. The spot that would go to Dohmann needs to instead be given to a young prospect who may put up poor stats, but at least have a future that would benefit from major league playing time. The obligatory veteran bullpen pitcher shouldn't be. It doesn't help the team's development, Dohmann isn't even better statistically than our other options. Signing Dohmann and giving him a bullpen spot would be unacceptable. The team needs to move beyond that. If you aren't going to upgrade your bullpen, don't make it worse by robbing a young player with a future of a spot on the team.

Also...USA Today's Bob Nightengale reports that the Yankees will trade starter Randy Johnson to the Arizona Diamondbacks sometime this week, citing sources from both teams. The actual trade package has apparently been agreed upon, as two minor leaguers and a relief pitcher will apparently head to New York for Johnson, however the holdup is over the amount of Johnson's 2007 salary New York will pay.

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If it's a minor league deal...

then no biggie to me, if it's major then hell no.

by R.J. Anderson on Jan 3, 2007 1:15 AM EST reply actions

I got the impression

That Encina was talking about a major league contract, since he cited Ty Wigginton last year as this being the type of move this would be in the article (aside from all the, ya know, production).

by Patrick L. Kennedy on Jan 3, 2007 1:24 AM EST up reply actions

Ehhhh...

Wigginton's season was actually to be epxected if you look at his averages projected over 162 he came very close / just passed every stat. Dohmann (God seriously could he play into the Homer Simpson quotes, D'oh and 'No D'ohs here, Dohmann puts up donuts....see I'm all ready writing headlines / jokes..great) doesn't have that luxury, and looking at his surge in walks doesn't make me think he'd do all so hot versus some fastball hitters (see Salas vs. Minnesota last season.)

by R.J. Anderson on Jan 3, 2007 1:28 AM EST up reply actions

That's what I was saying

If Encina was going for the comparable late-offseason signing, he should have gone with Brian Meadows.

by Patrick L. Kennedy on Jan 3, 2007 1:33 AM EST up reply actions

I'm sorry but Chad Harville is enraged....

Barbaro manure he yells! Actually more like "Barbaro come here!" since his new job is at Elmer's Glue...hmm....

by R.J. Anderson on Jan 3, 2007 1:36 AM EST up reply actions

Go post that on the Barbaro message board

I dare you.....

by Patrick L. Kennedy on Jan 3, 2007 1:52 AM EST up reply actions

Shawn Camp, maybe?

Royals pitcher with an "iffy" track record?

Not saying it's a great move, but we got lucky with a former Royals reliever before. Maybe they know something that we don't.

by Jacob Larsen on Jan 3, 2007 9:12 AM EST up reply actions

Must be that Royals connection

The difference, of course, being that Camp didn't have horrible peripheral stats before he was signed, which Dohmann does, and his worst prior year was better, his best prior year was better, and he actually excels at inducing ground balls. Other than that, they are perfectly the same.

However a 4.68 ERA in Camp is still not worth looking for this offseason. We need to give every available spot up for grabs to the plethora of young players that need major league development time. Unless we sign an "impact relief pitcher", and let's face it, we need to fold up the tent on that anyways, we shouldn't sign anyone at all.

by Patrick L. Kennedy on Jan 3, 2007 9:47 AM EST up reply actions

looks like Kyle Farnsworth

The whole necklace wearing thing as well as pitching motion.

by R.J. Anderson on Jan 3, 2007 1:16 AM EST reply actions

Looks like he colored in his beard

With like a red sketch pencil.

by Patrick L. Kennedy on Jan 3, 2007 1:23 AM EST up reply actions

Hmmm...

That's mark three of a true flameballer following

Tattoo on arm of a flame
Necklace of nearly any type (but especially animal teeth)
Dyed facial hair

I'll write a column up about the 'Flameballers Manifesto' eventually.

by R.J. Anderson on Jan 3, 2007 1:26 AM EST up reply actions

I will look forward to reading it

by Patrick L. Kennedy on Jan 3, 2007 1:27 AM EST up reply actions

Well tommorrow is the

'Perfect Storm' theory that I seem to mention without explaining, who knew we'd acquire a player the calibur of (needs nickname...) Harris and looking at the Dohmannitor (nickname...rejected)

by R.J. Anderson on Jan 3, 2007 1:31 AM EST up reply actions

Unit

I've heard Eveland, Owings, Nippert ,and Ohlendorf combination = the pitchers, as far as the INF prospect..no clue

by R.J. Anderson on Jan 3, 2007 1:18 AM EST reply actions

At this point, I don't know

(To kill a) Nightengale's report was the most concrete thing I've heard thus far, looks like we'll just have to wait and see who goes.

by Patrick L. Kennedy on Jan 3, 2007 1:22 AM EST up reply actions

Very nice catch Patrick

And I'm really not concerned with whatever the Yankees get, I mean sure Drew Henson, Randy Keisler, and Jason Anderson are lighting the Majors up...right?

by R.J. Anderson on Jan 3, 2007 1:24 AM EST up reply actions

Well

I mean, those were products from within the organization, Arizona has a top notch farm system with plenty of worthwhile prospects to deal. I'm really not liking the fact that New York is unloading underperforming, overpayed veterans, and getting prospects for it.

by Patrick L. Kennedy on Jan 3, 2007 1:26 AM EST up reply actions

That's the sour spot...

Sheff, Unit, and Wright aren't as good as their paydays suggest (anymore at least) not to mention Johnson and Sheff will be coming to Tampa soon to retire, getting an object that takes in oxygen is a bargain for a team that just goes out and buys the replacement quickly (or robs little teams like Pittsburgh and Philly of Wilsons and Abreus (okay seriously, Dave Littlefield come out and say Cashman had explosives strapped to his belly, or George's goons were in your office...please....) they won't get worse for long stretches.

Of course there is a bright spot to this...and I'll cover that tommorrow.

by R.J. Anderson on Jan 3, 2007 1:35 AM EST up reply actions

While that may be true

Owings, Nippert and the other guy aren't exactly projectable MLB arms. Nippert gave up 5 HRs in 10 IP in his first call-up to the majors, so there's something definitely wrong with his arm. Owings is a finesse pitcher, nothing that the Yankees really need in their rotation.

The one theory that I heard for the reasoning behind the Yankees stockpiling prospects in these trades is to prepare for a midseason trade with the Marlins or Twins to acquire a high-profile arm.

by Jacob Larsen on Jan 3, 2007 9:17 AM EST up reply actions

Sheffield

is making a stop in Detroit on his way to the Rays.

by das411 on Jan 3, 2007 2:20 AM EST reply actions

Heh...

Let's hope not...

by R.J. Anderson on Jan 3, 2007 2:45 PM EST up reply actions

I'd be a millionaire

If I had a time for every player that the Rays have considered or have contacted agents about.

Mark Mulder, Eric Gagne, Dave Riske, Russ Springer are a few names that have been mentioned by the Rays. What gives you the indication that we're strongly considering adding Dohmann?

First, you'd have to take into account the 40-Man roster. If we were to sign him to a Major League deal, like you said you got the impression that we were looking to, we'd have to drop someone off the 40-Man. In reality, I'm guessing that we'd offer him a Minor League deal and give him a ST invite.

Second, Danys Baez is a perfect example of a reliever who had somewhat questionable pitching periphreals and we took a chance on him and benefitted from him sucking. Now I'm not saying that Dohmann is in Baez or Camp's league, for that matter, but you say you can correctly predict a players' future perfectly off of past stats or track record.

by Jacob Larsen on Jan 3, 2007 3:06 PM EST reply actions

Let's see

What gives me the indication that we are addding Dohmann? Um, because it was explicitly said in the article. All of my opinions are contingent on the information actually expressed being true. If they are not, or we don't sign Dohmann, it is water under the bridge and it is moot.

The reason that it seemed to me like a 40 man spot was being dangled is because the article used Wigginton as a comparison, and he was given a major league contract.

Your Baez comparison is completely irrelevant. He put up numbers far better than Dohmann's with the Indians and was a bona-fide closing candidate, Dohmann clearly is not. You can never be 100% sure how a player is going to do, but you have to use past stats and player evalutation to give you the best sense of how a player will do, and in both counts, Dohmann fails.

You make all these open-ended remarks about "well, he could improve". Baseball doesn't work like that. By the logic you use, we should bring back Brian Meadows, because despite his peripherals and horrible play, he may surprise us. Dohmann is no different, there is nothing in him that indicates we should add him to the roster, absolutely nothing at all.

Good finesse though, you simultaneously defend Dohmann while setting yourself up to cover the DRO if they sign him. Nice.

by Patrick L. Kennedy on Jan 3, 2007 11:20 PM EST up reply actions

Actually

When Encina called it a Wigginton-like move, it was meant that he was considered an "under the radar" player with marginal upside that we could acquire from the non-tender scrap heap.

I got this info from the writer of this aforementioned article. Unless he said we were looking to sign Dohmann to a Major League deal in it, I'd safely assume that it's a minor league deal that Dohmann would receive from the Rays.

by Jacob Larsen on Jan 3, 2007 11:28 PM EST up reply actions

We shall see

by Patrick L. Kennedy on Jan 4, 2007 12:06 AM EST up reply actions

Rays Interested in Scott? D'oh, man

(I make the bad puns so you don't have to...)

We'll see, but I should hope the DRO isn't so blinkered as to offer anything more than a MiL contract/spring training invite on this so-far nonentity. Scott Dunn redux, perhaps? That's more of a how-it-might-turn-out guess rather than a before-the-fact comparison, but that's what keeps running through my limited mind...

With most of the acknowledged quality (or even potential quality) bullpen pieces off the market now, and even erstwhile starters being purchased with the idea of bullpen use (see: Pineiro, Joel), perhaps we shouldn't still be trawling in fished-out waters?

by Not That Chuck on Jan 4, 2007 10:46 AM EST reply actions