on the road with octavio dotel

i realize that this is a topic that has been done before, but i've already done these types of posts for tommy davis, bob miller, and mike morgan, so i would feel remiss to leave out the most well-traveled player of all-time, octavio dotel.  especially since he was, for a short time like the others mentioned, a dodger.

dotel's big league career began with the mets (that's one team) in 1999 (here's a 2000 upper deck card)

even winning a game in the nlcs against the braves that year.  however, dotel was traded to the astros (two) in december of 1999 in the mike hampton deal, so he got an astros card in the later series of that same set

the astros converted dotel to a reliever, and he pitched for them for four-plus seasons before he was sent to the a's (three) during the 2004 campaign in the three-team deal that netted the 'stros carlos beltran.  this is a 2005 fleer tradition card

showing dotel in the green and gold.  from there, dotel became a free agent after the 2005 season and signed a one year deal with the yankees (four).  he signed another free agent deal after the 2006 season, this time with the royals (five).  topps issued a card of him wearing the kansas city uniform as part of the 2007 topps set

but he was again traded midseason, this time to the braves (six).  so, topps put him in the update & highlights set that year (this is the gold parallel)

and the photographer had him pose such that dotel has a light standard growing out of the side of his face.

after finishing out the 2007 season with the braves, dotel spent 2008 and 2009 with the white sox (seven) before joining the pirates (eight) for the start of the 2010 season.  at the trading deadline that year, the dodgers (nine) sent james mcdonald and andrew lambo to pittsburgh for dotel.  topps was kind enough to fake him into a dodger uniform for the 2010 update set (here's the walmart black parallel)

even though the dodgers traded dotel to the rockies (ten) in mid-september.  for the record, dotel pitched in 19 games as a dodger, going 1-1 with a save and a 3.38 era.

dotel began the 2011 season with the toronto blue jays (eleven). here's his 2011 topps card

once again, however, dotel was traded during the season.  this time, he was headed to the cardinals (twelve), and was included as such in the 2011 topps update set (this is a cognac parallel)

dotel won a world series ring as a member of the 2011 cardinals.  he pitched in all three postseason series, winning a game in both the nlds and nlcs, but losing one in the fall classic.

he was back in the world series again in 2012, but this time it was as a member of the detroit tigers (his thirteenth team - a major league record).  here's his 2012 topps update card showing him as a motor city kitty

the tigers lost that series, but brought dotel back for the 2013 season.  unfortunately, he remained unsigned after the season ended, and his big league career was over.

13 teams in 15 seasons is pretty impressive, and i'm glad dotel came through los angeles on his tour of duties, even if ned gave away mcdonald and lambo for six weeks of a replacement level reliever.

i was wondering, how often do the dodgers trade within the division?

neither of the two deals the dodgers made at the non-waiver trading deadline (three if you count the juan rivera deal) involved teams within the nl west.  i know that deals with the giants are pretty rare, but decided to see about the other teams in the division.  just how often have ned, depo, the sherriff, dan evans, fred claire, and al wheeled and dealed with their nl west counterparts?

the dodgers have made 5 trades with the arizona diamondbacks, the most recent being the one that brought jon garland to la (the first time) in 2009.  other deals have included jettisoning shawn green, picking up elmer dessens (also the first time), and getting steve finley for, amongst others, koyie hill.

(who signed and returned his 2002 topps traded card for me a couple of years ago from chicago where he was playing for the cubs).

there have also been 5 trades between the dodgers and the rockies.  the last one, from a year ago, brought octavio dotel to la for his short stint. 

other notable deals included tom goodwin for todd hollandsworth, eric young (returning to la), and jody reed bringing his contract savvy-ness to la in 1992.

with the padres, the dodgers have made only 3 trades.  the first, in 1969, netted al mcbean for a couple of players, and the second brought manly-monikered jim bruske north to la. 

the latest deal between the two teams, made in 2008, saw greg maddux rejoin the dodgers after a brief exile in san diego.

the dodgers and giants have made a couple of dozen deals, but only 3 since the teams moved out west.  the dodgers acquired tom haller from the no-cals in 1968 for ron hunt and nate oliver, and then traded candy maldonado for alex trevino in 1985.  the last deal between the two teams was in 2007 when the dodgers got mark sweeney

for travis denker.  i think denker came back to the dodgers last year as a free agent.

the d-backs and rockies haven't been around too long, and the giants are the hated rivals, but i was surprised at how few trades have been made between the dodgers and the pads.  heck, the dodgers have traded 8 times with the 'cross-town' angels. not that i care too much, i can't even name more than one or two padres players these days.

the numbers are all mixed up

my 2010 topps update dodger cards are trickling in - no joe collector break, so i have gone the ebay route.  the first card i picked up was the short print celebrating the 1952 brooklyn team that won the pennant (but lost the world series).

if topps continues with these short prints in 2011, i am hoping for some variety.  as much as i like duke, campy, pee wee and jackie, why not include some drysdale or sutton or even a frank robinson in a dodger uni just for kicks?  or even a steve garvey, although topps seems to be married to him as a padre given the cards they have produced in the past few years (with the exception of the '09 ring of honor and the card your mother threw out from this year's update, of course).
another card i picked up in an update insert lot was this octavio dotel gold parallel.

nice of topps to get dotel as a dodger since he didn't finish the season with them, even if it is a bad airbrush job.

what do i mean by 'bad'?  well, with both of these cards there is a big error.  look closely at the uniform numbers.  while i applaud topps for taking the time to colorize the short print photo (here's a similar photo for your reference), they forgot that the number on the front of the jerseys are red.  then, with dotel's photo, they got that right but forgot that the numbers on the back of the dodger jerseys are blue. 

close, topps.  try harder next time.

goose joaks for the newly acquired

since i gave scott podsednik the o-pee-chee treatment, i figured it was only fair to do the same for the three players the dodgers acquired at the trade deadline. 

octavio dotel

ned seems to enjoy trading with pittsburgh, although the last time he did it the dodgers wound up with a motivated manny ramirez.

the other two guys came over from the cubs.  they are ted lilly

and ryan theriot

lilly was a dodger prospect way back in the latter part of the 90's, but we had to have carlos perez, so he was dealt away.  as far as theriot goes, ned actually compared his level of play to the guy (blake dewitt) who was sent to the cubs as part of the deal.  if it's a wash, could dewitt have been that crucial to the deal?

anyway, the three amigos posed for dodger photographer jon soohoo soon after arriving, and i've tried to cut it up to create more traditional card images.

lilly is too skinny to get his own card without some resolution loss.  since the trades, only lilly has really delivered, although theriot is batting .276.  dotel hasn't even been used in a game in which the dodgers have had a lead yet.  and, as for scotty pods,

he is batting a buck ninetyfive since the trade with a .250 obp.  that's garret anderson territory.