As of September 1st, Timo Dooley was no longer a member of the 2055 Omaha Cyclones.
Question: When did the questions begin about what to do with Timo based on his performance?
“Despite what others may think, we have had any internal discussions about Timo or his status with the team. This all came together very quickly. Timo approached us last week and I’ll let him address that with you all.” Said Omaha GM Justin Niles at a press conference seated with Timo Dooley.
Question: Dooley has a pending contract extension for 4 years beginning in 2057 for a total of almost 6 million dollars. That’s without mentioning the $16M he is owed for next season. Is there any comment on that?“I’ve enjoyed the last 15 years of my life playing in front of what I think are the best fans in the Brewster. There wasn’t a day I didn’t enjoy coming to the ball park. Let’s be honest though guys, this year has been a struggle. Statistically it’s easily my worst year of my career. My ERA is almost 6 and a half, and that is with a great defense playing behind me.” Said Dooley. “I just look at other guys on the team and I know that I am not doing my fair share. There are guys in the minors right now who deserve to be in the majors but aren’t because I am holding their roster spot. I just felt like it was time to make a change. While I won’t be announcing a retirement, and am leaving open the possibility that I may suit up for another team, I don’t believe that I deserve to be an Omaha Cyclone based on my performance this season. I will however, always be an Omaha Cyclone at heart and be cheering hard for my brothers on the field.
Question: So what’s the plan with his roster spot?“Timo is going to make every penny of that because that is what he deserves. When he came in last week to make his intentions clear, we never discussed money. Financially, It didn’t matter to us if he was walking away. There is a bit of an advantage to not waiting until the off-season though. We owe him roughly $24,000,000 over the next 6 seasons when you figure his remaining value this year, next year, and the 4 year extension. Had we waited until the off-season that figure changes to $21.7M over 5 years. By making the change now, we’re splitting it up over 6 years instead of 5, which if our budgets become tight should help us absorb it a bit better.
It appears it truly is an end of an era in Omaha as Timo Dooley moved on at the age of 35 years old. For his career he finishes in Omaha with 194 wins(1st in team history), a 4.03 ERA, 1,811 strikeouts and a career war of 47.3 over 3,031 innings(1st in team history).“Well, rosters expanded actually today so we had plans already to call up a few guys. I think it’s fair to mention up front that Enzo Bouton is not one of those players that will be called up and neither is Stan Barnett. Don’t expect to see either in the majors this season.
