Octavio Dotel, the Tigers and the Winter Meetings

As the 2011 Winter Meetings came to a close the Detroit Tigers hadn't made the big splash that fans had come to expect, but several deals are in the works. Most notably for reliever Octavio Dotel and outfielder Yoenis Cespedes.

Cespedes hasn't yet been posted on the free agent market, but the Tigers are seen to be the most aggressive and leading candidate to secure his services. Coming out of the final day of the Winter Meetings on Wednesday the buzz surrounding the Tigers was about a reliever, Octavio Dotel.

Detroit had headed to Texas with the intention of adding a few small pieces to their bullpen and to search for a potential fifth starter. It appears as though Dotel will be the extent of the Tigers haul this winter, which is perfectly fine with the Tigers brass and fans alike.

As of Wednesday night the Tigers were seen to have Dotel in the bag, although reports had him enamored with the St. Louis Cardinals. As the night progressed Dotel and the Tigers appeared to grow closer and according to reports were only negotiating contract length.

Rumors surrounding the Tigers and Dotel have the contract being between four and five million dollars for one year with a vesting option for a second. The addition of Dotel to the Detroit bullpen creates a formidable beast out beyond the left-field fence. With the new addition the Tigers appear to have their seventh, eighth and ninth innings sewn up with Joaquin Benoit, Octavio Dotel and Jose Valverde.

Bullpen battle brewing

Should the ink finally dry on the Dotel deal it would create a battle out in the bullpen during Spring Training between Ryan Perry and David Pauley for the final roster spot. Seeing as how Manager Jim Leyland was hesitant to use Pauley after his acquisition last season it would seem as though he would have to truly outplay Perry to make the 40-man roster in May.

Addition by subtraction

While the Tigers may not have come away from the Winter Meetings with the usual haul of players fans have become used to, it's not to say that the past week hasn't been beneficial for Detroit. During the meetings White Sox General Manager Kenny Wilson all but conceded that his club is entering a rebuilding phase with the trading of closer Sergio Santos and the fact that most of the White Sox high impact players have been placed on the trading block.

Former White Sox left-handed starter Mark Buehrle further helped the Tigers by signing a four-year, $58 million deal with the Miami Marlins. While his transition from the American League to the National League may be rocky, the Tigers can rest easy knowing that an elite left-hander will no longer be in their division.

Over the Winter Meetings the Minnesota Twins also pitched in to aid the Tigers by trading right-handed pitcher Kevin Slowey to the Colorado Rockies for a player-to-be-named-later. Once again, the Tigers will benefit from the removal of an excellent pitcher from their division.

So while the Winter Meetings may not seem like a success on the surface, the Tigers come out as the clear winners in the American League Central so far this off-season.

The Tigers and Yoenis Cespedes

After defecting from Cuba the 26-year-old free-agent to be has landed in the Dominican Republic and has drawn the interest of very nearly every Major League team. The leading candidates for his services remain the New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, Miami Marlins and the Washington Nationals. And for good reason, this outfielder holds the Cuban-league home run record and is nicknamed, "The Talented."

The Detroit Tigers have emerged as the most aggressive team in the hunt for Cespedes with General Manager Dave Dombrowski flying down to the Dominican Republic to watch the outfielder work out. Cespedes has drawn more interest from the Tigers than any player in recent memory with one staffer saying of the Dombrowski trip to the Dominican, "I can't remember (Dombrowski) ever taking a similar step before."

All of this attention is well deserved as the slugger has regularly contributed to the success of his Cuban-league team. While the stats out of the Cuban-league are spotty and the competitiveness of the teams is unknown, Cespedes projects to be a very good major leaguer.

Many have equated the Cuban-league to a high-AA ball competition, which ask any baseball savvy individual is where major leaguers are born. His numbers out of Cuba look like this;

Year      BA      OB      SLG      HR      RBI      SB
'08        .243    .290      .388        21        77         5
'09        .262    .322      .410        19        75         5
'10        .269    .329      .412        18        66         6
'11        .266    .332      .445        27        98         13

Those numbers are very impressive and translate well to the MLB, which is what the Tigers are hoping. They believe that Cespedes can come over and play right field and lead off immediately. Austin Jackson will remain as the center-fielder, but the addition of Cespedes would free Detroit up to trade Delmon Young, they would prefer for a middle-infielder, and allow the Tigers to slide Brennan Boesch over to left field.

And if his numbers out of Cuba aren't convincing enough his representatives have released a highlight video that includes the longest introduction of all time, including a "Star Wars" style lead in.

Cespedes projects out to be a similar player to Aaron Rowand and even beyond, his numbers make him head-and-shoulders better than any other center fielder on the market. While his numbers show that he will be a very respectable major league player, he will not become a star - his stats just don't seem to support that.

The only down side to Cespedes is the contract that he is asking for; prior to his settling down in the Dominican it was assumed that he would command Aroldis Chapman-type money. That is close to the truth, Cespedes is using his fellow Cuban-defector's contract as a measuring stick. Chapman made $30 million out of Cuba, Cespedes wants double. 

The $50-$60 million price tag may scare away many of the smaller market teams and quite possibly the likes of the Yankees and Red Sox who want a bit more certainty before shelling out such sums of money. It appears as though the road is clearing for the Tigers to secure their outfielder, with his contract expected to be posted after the Winter Meetings this week.

A look into the future shows that Cespedes will develop into a very respectable outfielder with an ability to get on base and drive in runs.

Year     BA     OBP    SLG    HR     RBI     SB    WAR
'12       .270    .331     .435     23        86        9        3.3
'13       .269    .331     .439     23        84        9        3.4
'14       .267    .330     .435     22        83        8        3.2
'15       .268    .330     .436     22        86        8        3.1

Those stats aren't earth-shattering by any standard, but they are solid and appear to remain solid for many years into the future. While the Tigers don't appear to be looking to make a big splash during the Winter Meetings, they may simply be waiting to make their splash once Cespedes is posted. Look for the Cuban-phenom in the Old English D next season.