What is Octavio Dotel's Net worth? MLB star’s fortune explored as he dies after jet set nightclub roof collapse

2011 World Series Game 5 - St Louis Cardinals v Texas Rangers - Source: Getty
Octavio Dotel during 2011 World Series Game 5 - St Louis Cardinals v Texas Rangers (Source: Getty)

A tragic incident in the Dominican Republic took the lives of several acclaimed people, including the former MLB pitcher Octavio Dotel, baseball player Tony Enrique Blanco Cabrera, and merengue singer Rubby Pérez, when the roof of the Jet Set nightclub collapsed.

As per a report in CBS News, at least 79 people died, and more than 150 were injured on April 8, 2025. Octavio Dotel, who was 51 years old, hailed from Santo Domingo. He competed for 13 MLB teams during his 15-year career, spanning 1999 to 2013, the report mentioned.

World Series - San Francisco Giants v Detroit Tigers - Game 4 - Source: Getty
World Series - San Francisco Giants v Detroit Tigers - Game 4 - Source: Getty

He is survived by his wife, Massiel, and children, Eduardo and Nicole. According to Celebrity Net Worth, he has amassed a net worth of $16 million. He has left behind a legacy of resilience, versatility, and excellence in Major League Baseball.

Born on November 25, 1973, his financial success began when he was signed with the New York Mets in 1993. Let us understand his rise to a successful career.


Exploring the fortune of former MLB star Octavio Dotel

Octavio Dotel’s MLB career spanned 1999 to 2013, during which he played for a record-setting 13 teams. This reflected his versatility as a player. Over this period, he went on to earn approximately $41 million in salary alone, according to a report in Gazette Direct.

According to a report in The New York Times, the Mets signed Dotel for $3,000 in March 1993, months before his father, Emilio, was murdered in a robbery.

Boston Red Sox v Detroit Tigers - Source: Getty
Boston Red Sox v Detroit Tigers - Source: Getty

He gained a significant amount when the New York Mets traded him to the Houston Astros in December 1999, as indicated in a report in Gazette Direct.

Later, in 2004, the Astros traded him to the Athletics, where he pitched for 11 different teams between 2004 and 2013, such as the Athletics, Yankees, Royals, Braves, White Sox, Pirates, Dodgers, Rockies, Blue Jays, Cardinals, and Tigers, per CBS Sports.

On Dotel’s passing, Steve Phillips, the general manager of the 1999 New York Mets, said:

“There are guys who get traded a lot because they’re not good guys. He got traded a lot because everybody always vouched for him.”

According to Spotrac, his Average salary during this period increased from $2,800,000 to $3,500,000. From 2007 to 2009, he pulled in $16 million across three seasons, split between the Kansas City Royals and Chicago White Sox, a report in Gazette Direct noted.

Overall, he earned approximately $41 million in salary with 13 Major League teams, Merca20 reported.

Dotel announced his retirement from professional baseball on October 3, 2014. In 2019, he was arrested when he got linked to a drug trafficking and money laundering network but was later acquitted of all the charges when no evidence was discovered by the officials.

In addition to his salary, Octavio Dotel earned from business ventures and endorsement deals as well.

On his death, many of Dotel’s close friends and former colleagues remember him for his remarkable career and the person he was off the field.

Billy Wagner, the Hall of Fame closer and a former teammate wrote:

“It just breaks my heart. He was such a carefree, easygoing guy, made everybody feel at ease — even when he tried to be angry or mad, he wasn’t very good at it. I’m beside myself now just thinking of all the times I thought about needing to get back together, and (we’re) not ever going to be able to do it again."

Tributes have poured in from across the baseball world through heartfelt messages from organizations such as the Houston Astros. People have observed moments of silence including Dottel’s former teams like the New York Mets.

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Edited by Abhimanyu Sharma