Pedro to undergo rotator cuff surgery, out till JUNE

by future on Sep 30, 2006 5:57 PM EDT

Per Espn.com

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2608613

Yikes. We're going to be missing Pedro until June? This isn't good at all for the Mets. Now we might over-reach for Zito or Schmidt.

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this is really bad

Rotator cuff surgery is a strange thing, sometimes guys never recover from that. Wow, I guess Epstein thinks he got the last laugh, but If Pedro never throws another pitch for us the deal was worth it. He made the Mets matter again.

its a ground ball...trickling... its a fair ball, its by Buckner, rounding third Knight, the Mets will win the ballgame, the Mets win

by DoctorK16 on Sep 30, 2006 6:38 PM EDT reply actions

still a couple of years

left on a big contract. But wtf, it aint my money

end the madness.stop the war

by elifriedman on Sep 30, 2006 9:53 PM EDT up reply actions

yeah

but Wilpon made tons more with the team being where it is now. That doesn't happen with Pedro.

its a ground ball...trickling... its a fair ball, its by Buckner, rounding third Knight, the Mets will win the ballgame, the Mets win

by DoctorK16 on Sep 30, 2006 10:20 PM EDT up reply actions

timetable

if he's not even throwing off a mound until June, he might start major league games in what late August?

He's not going to have the strength or confidence he'll need until then. I don't know if there's any chance he be effective in 2008.

by hotspur on Oct 1, 2006 9:51 AM EDT up reply actions

Pedro

If Pedro never throws another pitch for us the deal was worth it. He made the Mets matter again.

Totally agree. Also, supposedly his presence helped land other players interested in working with him and learning from him.

by Max in NJ on Oct 1, 2006 2:23 PM EDT up reply actions

Well put

I'm even sicker feeling about this.

Note that the contract value is insured; the Mets will get back some of his salary money in insurance while he's away. Not much, but at least $5M or so that Omar can use to bolster the rotation.

The bullpen is what we needed, plus a bopper, last year. Omar got us Delgado and the bullpen, even with dirty out, is perhaps the best in baseball. Everyone knows we need starters now. I fully expect Omar to add not one but two significant starters given this news.

With luck, the fire will still burn enough in Pedro to work hard at his rehab and be there for us during next year's stretch and postseason.

by peeder on Oct 1, 2006 6:13 PM EDT up reply actions

oh btw

this almost guarentees that Zito will be pursued for next year, I'm personally not excited about that but these are the breaks.

its a ground ball...trickling... its a fair ball, its by Buckner, rounding third Knight, the Mets will win the ballgame, the Mets win

by DoctorK16 on Sep 30, 2006 6:42 PM EDT reply actions

We all knew

that Pedro was fragile and the last two years on his contract were problematic. I like the young arms in our organization and confident Omar can bring one established starters in.

Also, baseball has changed as you can tell from this year. A good bullpen is now more important than starting pitching and the Mets have a great bullpen

end the madness.stop the war

by elifriedman on Oct 1, 2006 9:57 AM EDT reply actions

Disagree

A good bullpen is now more important than starting pitching

I think the key is balance. Ideally you want a solid starting rotation, bullpen, offense and defense. We've had a superlative bullpen this year, which has helped make up for our starting rotation problems. That doesn't mean a good bullpen is more important than starting pitching. I'm not saying a team doesn't need a good bullpen; it does. We've seen lots of teams with very good starting pitching (Marlins, Reds) but with ineffective bullpens.

by Max in NJ on Oct 1, 2006 2:29 PM EDT reply actions

I and my family send Pedro best wishes

for a strong, successful recovery. Personally, I wish they had put Pedro on the DL immediately when he hurt his hip and never messed around with his mechanics to try to compensate for the hip. Who knows what damage that compensating might have done. Well, too late now.

Anyway, I feel really bad for Pedro that he can't pitch in this post-season.

As for the future, a healthy Pedro will continue to be a dominant force for the Mets.

For now, though, I hope he takes it easy, and I hope he enjoys watching his teammates win a world championship.

by Max in NJ on Oct 1, 2006 2:36 PM EDT reply actions

Recovery

Anyone know of pitchers that have undergone this surgery at a similar age and come back strong (or not)?

Sportsline has this blurb, which sounds hopeful but I think it might be wishful thinking:

Pedro Martinez, SP NYM

News: The Mets will be missing ace Pedro Martinez for more than just the postseason. The Mets right-hander will have rotator cuff surgery next week and be out eight months. The injury is expected to sideline him until at least June. Martinez, who turns 35 this month, was already out for the playoffs because of a torn tendon in his left calf. The Mets won the NL East and start the playoffs next week at home.

Analysis: The Mets have the luxury of being patient and this could wind up be good news for his long-term keeper Fantasy owners. Pedro had been working in the mid-80s all season and perhaps surgery will get him back to throwing in the 90s again. He still had wicked movement and clearly knows how to pitch, so he should be a solid injury-risk sleeper for the season half of 2007. The rotator cuff surgery will allow his chronic calf and toe problems to heal, too. The injuries might all be related to overcompensation for the other ailments.

by e 6 on Oct 1, 2006 10:34 PM EDT reply actions