I remember reading about that when he signed with the Tigers. I passed the info along to a couple of guys talking about how many teams Mike Morgan had played for. Although in this era it feels like people can easily get to 14 or 15 teams someday.

Nomad, vagabond, call him what you will.

I was looking at records that could be broken this year, and that seems like the most significant one that's likely. Thome has an outside chance at the strikeout record, but he'd have to play most of the time. Ivan Rodriguez could conceivably sign somewhere and ground into a few more double plays. Looks like a quiet year for record chases, though...

Until I saw reference to it a few weeks ago .... I knew he'd played for a lot, but had no idea he had tied Morgan and is now passing him.

What's funny about Dotel is that he's been pretty consistently good yet he continues to move on after a year or two. Is he a total ####### or something? Why are teams so quick to rid themselves of him?

What's funny about Dotel is that he's been pretty consistently good yet he continues to move on after a year or two. Is he a total ####### or something? Why are teams so quick to rid themselves of him?

I think he had injury concerns for a bit. But he seems to be just good enough to be valuable to teams, but not good enough to warrant a long-term deal. I can't recall ever hearing he was a bad guy. Same with Matt Stairs.

God dangit! Matt Stairs played for 13 teams! Enough of this revisionist history about the Expos and Nationals being the same!

I think he had injury concerns for a bit. But he seems to be just good enough to be valuable to teams, but not good enough to warrant a long-term deal. I can't recall ever hearing he was a bad guy. Same with Matt Stairs.

That's my take... the guy is a perfect rental - I'd be afraid of his arm coming off under a LTC.

There were definitely a couple of times when his old team expressed interest in him during an offseason, but he wound up signing somewhere else. I think if he'd really wanted to move less and was willing to leave money on the table to do so, he could have. He probably knew that his loyalty wouldn't have given him immunity from trades, though (and I doubt anyone would have offered him a no-trade clause).

Kind of like Lofton. Kept playing well, kept getting one-year deals and trades.

Thome has an outside chance at the strikeout record, but he'd have to play most of the time. Ivan Rodriguez could conceivably sign somewhere and ground into a few more double plays. Looks like a quiet year for record chases, though...

Interesting; I had no idea Rodriguez was so close to the double play record. I knew about Thome.

Rodriguez is also only 26 games away from tying Carlton Fisk's games caught record.

On July 26th, Octavio Dotel and Russell Branyan were both playing in the major leagues.
Branyan had played for 10 teams.
Dotel had played for 11 teams.
Neither of them had played for the same franchise.

(Then Dotel got traded to St. Louis.)

That's pretty neat. Branyan did spend one spring training with the Braves (for whom Dotel pitched), and a few weeks in Richmond.

That's pretty neat. Branyan did spend one spring training with the Braves (for whom Dotel pitched), and a few weeks in Richmond.

Shhh! You'll ruin a nice piece of trivia with that sort of talk.

Dotel has the advantage of being a reliever and all the mid-season trades (5 of them!). Impressively he's pulled this off in just 13 seasons (well, 14 with this year) and despite spending 4 years in Houston.

Why all the travel? Fungibility of relievers and not making the majors until he was 25 and only 55 innings from 31-33 due to injury. Who's going to give a long-term contract to a 34-year-old reliever who hasn't been good in 3 years?

The answer to that question is the White Sox who stepped up with 2/$11. Go figure.

Looking back at his contract history -- baseball is just insane isn't it? That's the only conclusion I can draw....

2005: throws 15 innings for Oakland
2006: Yanks give him $2 M -- decent enough gamble I guess -- he throws 10 innings with a 10.80 ERA and a 6.3/9.9 K/BB ratio
2007: Naturally the Royals sign him for 1/$5 with a $5.5 M player option.
2007: Traded to Atlanta. On the year, throws 30 innings of 112 ERA+
2007: Well ... apparently he declines the player option*
2008: 2/$11 from the White Sox

KC signs him for good money for no reason. Dotel apparently declines the player option. The White Sox give him a multi-year deal. All based 3 years of 55 IP?

Cot's describes the option as "if Dotel exercises the 2008 option, the club may elect to void it" ... ummm, what kinda option is that?

"The presence of NOMAD aboard my ship has become nightmarish!"

Cot's describes the option as "if Dotel exercises the 2008 option, the club may elect to void it" ... ummm, what kinda option is that?

Mutual.

Cot's describes the option as "if Dotel exercises the 2008 option, the club may elect to void it" ... ummm, what kinda option is that?

Option J.