Bedard To Be Cut Open, Poked

by Jeff Sullivan on Sep 17, 2008 10:57 AM PDT in Seattle Mariners News, Bad

Edit: Oh god we are so screwed

This could be bad news. This could be not news. What this can't be is good news. After going the rehab route for a couple months and seeing little in the way of progress, Bedard will undergo exploratory surgery on the 26th, which basically means Dr. Yocum's going to play What's Wrong With This Picture? with the important bits of Erik's left wing until he gets bored. The best-case scenario is that there's not much wrong and nothing major has to be stitched or stapled, but the possibility exists that they're going to discover something bad, which would obviously endanger much, if not all of Bedard's 2009. Which would suck. Although hey it would give us a reason to hang on to Washburn. So that's something.

I'm not going to write Bedard off, not yet; for all we know, he'll be patched up and ready to go in no time. But I was hoping it wouldn't come to this, because I'm easily spooked by a pitcher getting his shoulder cut open. There are all kinds of nasty demons they could find in there that would put Bedard on the shelf for a while. It's pretty much the last place you'd like to see a pitcher get the knife.

This is our reality, though, so I suppose we've little choice but to hope for the best. We didn't get to see the Erik Bedard we thought we were getting in 2008. Hopefully he's able to show his face in 2009. Because the Erik Bedard we thought we were getting is one of the best pitchers on the planet, and the longer he's gone, the worse things are - not just for us, but for baseball as a whole. Supreme talent should never be forced into dormancy.

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Comments

uh-oh

I hope it’s not too serious.

Cuba Si! Yanqi No!

by Patrick517 on Sep 17, 2008 11:02 AM PDT reply actions

Bad news from the Angels team doctor about the shoulder of the Mariners ace would not surprise me

by Gomez on Sep 17, 2008 11:25 AM PDT up reply actions

Like they need

the added advantage.

by AZSEAfan on Sep 17, 2008 2:10 PM PDT up reply actions

Have they ruled out Lupus?

This signature space for rent.

by PositivePaul on Sep 17, 2008 2:14 PM PDT up reply actions

I enjoyed your use of left wing.

Though now I want some fried chicken.

by Matthew on Sep 17, 2008 11:21 AM PDT reply actions

Speaking of which,

wasn’t there a scare about Bedard’s labrum back when he first went on the D/L?

by Matthew on Sep 17, 2008 11:24 AM PDT up reply actions

Wasn't that the hip labrum?

by Jeff Sullivan on Sep 17, 2008 11:29 AM PDT up reply actions

His throwing motion endangers all of them

by Robert on Sep 17, 2008 11:32 AM PDT up reply actions

I believe that was the actual concern

but there was a brouhaha over people mistaking it for the shoulder labrum. So it would cruelly ironic if he has a (shoulder) labrum problem now.

by Matthew on Sep 17, 2008 11:36 AM PDT up reply actions

,

by Robert on Sep 17, 2008 11:39 AM PDT up reply actions 2 recs

Just like it was cruelly ironic when he had the hip problem in the first place

by Graham MacAree on Sep 17, 2008 1:37 PM PDT up reply actions

THIS TURNED OUT TO BE, IN FACT, CRUELLY IRONIC!

by Matthew on Sep 17, 2008 11:24 PM PDT up reply actions

Well, I'll always have those first three pitches.

by Matthew on Sep 17, 2008 12:05 PM PDT reply actions

(and nothing else)

by Matthew on Sep 17, 2008 12:05 PM PDT up reply actions

You have that one story

by Jeff Sullivan on Sep 17, 2008 12:13 PM PDT up reply actions

Oh yeah... good times Erik, good times.

by Matthew on Sep 17, 2008 12:28 PM PDT up reply actions

Weren't not even in the stadium for that?

by Robert on Sep 17, 2008 1:03 PM PDT up reply actions

No.

by Matthew on Sep 17, 2008 1:06 PM PDT up reply actions

Here's #3, probably. My copy of #1 sucked.

(Here’s the RESULT of pitch #1, though:)

This signature space for rent.

by PositivePaul on Sep 17, 2008 1:35 PM PDT up reply actions

I had so much hope then.

It seems like a million years ago.

J.K.L.

by Aaron Campeau on Sep 17, 2008 1:38 PM PDT up reply actions

I was!

by JI on Sep 17, 2008 1:16 PM PDT up reply actions

There is in fact floor!

It has an operating table on it.

J.K.L.

by Aaron Campeau on Sep 17, 2008 1:27 PM PDT reply actions

NO FLOOR

by Matthew on Sep 17, 2008 3:04 PM PDT up reply actions

Seems like sooo loong ago...

This signature space for rent.

by PositivePaul on Sep 17, 2008 1:40 PM PDT reply actions

Yocum is a terrible family name and should be bred out of existence.

Also, the chance that Bedard becomes untradeable and leaves the mariners not even a type B would be like a follow up kick to the nads right after the pain from the fist one subsides into numbness. And its always hurts more the second time.

by Bearskin Rugburn on Sep 17, 2008 1:57 PM PDT reply actions

If something significant is wrong I'm not sure we even bring him back for '09

by Jeff Sullivan on Sep 17, 2008 2:03 PM PDT up reply actions

There really wouldn't be any point.

by Matthew on Sep 17, 2008 2:04 PM PDT up reply actions

Question regarding draft pick compensation:

If a player is injured for most of a year, does Elias still take that year into account? Basically, will Elias be looking stricly at 2008 and 2009 no matter what in determining if Bedard is a Type A or Type B?

by Teej on Sep 17, 2008 4:03 PM PDT up reply actions

Yes. Otherwise declining players would just demand that they look at 1998 or something.

“Mike Hampton, Type A FA”

by marc w on Sep 17, 2008 4:11 PM PDT up reply actions

So without a Bedard in 2009

Is there still a way to remain competitive?

Go Fo Broke!

by eknpdx on Sep 17, 2008 2:14 PM PDT up reply actions

Not a terribly probable one.

by Matthew on Sep 17, 2008 2:26 PM PDT up reply actions

Not an easy one

but that still doesn’t mean I want to rebuild.

by Jeff Sullivan on Sep 17, 2008 2:34 PM PDT up reply actions

I know you have a few posts to touch on this subject some time later,

But this is looking much much darker.

Go Fo Broke!

by eknpdx on Sep 17, 2008 2:38 PM PDT up reply actions

This feels like a dark cloud creeping up behind us.

I'm back to liking midgets too much.

by Thingray on Sep 17, 2008 2:48 PM PDT up reply actions

My theory is that in any given offseason it is possible to turn the worst team in baseball into the best one

by Jeff Sullivan on Sep 17, 2008 2:49 PM PDT up reply actions

In theory, yes. In Seattle, no.

In theory, it should be easier to do that sort of a turnaround if you have the resources that the M’s have. But the more I think about it, it’s the long-term contracts and the lack of amazing draft picks, etc. that make this off season so difficult.

You can’t have an off-season like we had last time and THEN take only one off-season to undo all the damage.

by marc w on Sep 17, 2008 2:57 PM PDT up reply actions

I just don't want the front office to punt 2009 before it ever begins

there’s a difference between not taking on any giant new contracts and rebuilding the roster.

by Jeff Sullivan on Sep 17, 2008 3:10 PM PDT up reply actions

Nor should they

Anything’s possible, and given enough improvement, they put themselves in a great position for 2010 and forward. My point is that your theory needs to be adjusted or amended to note that it may not apply to teams that signed Carlos Silva for 4yrs and traded away a fuckton of org depth last season.

Again, that’s not the same as ‘burn the tree’ or a punt; I’m hoping it’s more of a useful (painful) lesson for the future. This team can be surprisingly good next year if the young guys hit, they fix the DER problem and they add some offense. Losing Bedard hurts, but the team obviously needs to have the young guys hit, fix the DER problem and add some offense anyway.

by marc w on Sep 17, 2008 3:30 PM PDT up reply actions

My theory certainly doesn't apply to all individual realities but I am concentrating all of my Felix and Morrow hope and heaping it on the new GM

by Jeff Sullivan on Sep 17, 2008 3:32 PM PDT up reply actions

This makes sense.

When you have the talent go for it.

Go Fo Broke!

by eknpdx on Sep 17, 2008 3:45 PM PDT up reply actions

In addition

If the team can strive to hover at or around .500 next year while still re-stocking the organization, why not try? Trading Adrian Beltre alone isn’t going to bring back enough value to justify the complete punting that’s being discussed.

by Jeff Sullivan on Sep 17, 2008 3:33 PM PDT up reply actions

Especially considering that getting back to ~.500 next year without doing anything rash might be enough to get him to re-sign.

J.K.L.

by Aaron Campeau on Sep 17, 2008 3:35 PM PDT up reply actions

That's it exactly.

This team is closer than they know, which is a bit scary.

The ‘fixes’ necessary to get them to .500 are actually pretty damn cheap. They’re in a different place than many teams, whose quickest route to .500 may be through free-agent pitching.
They can and should get to .500 next year assuming the new GM is a competent person and assuming Clement/Wlad hit better than they did this year.

by marc w on Sep 17, 2008 3:38 PM PDT up reply actions

What's a reasonable expectation

for this club in terms of making up the -126 run differential? I’m a bit confused on this topic.

Go Fo Broke!

by eknpdx on Sep 17, 2008 4:06 PM PDT up reply actions

Pitching regression, no Vidro/Sexson, cheap bats always available

by Jeff Sullivan on Sep 17, 2008 4:06 PM PDT up reply actions

And DER regression/actual improvement.

Even a not-particularly bright GM could get rid of most of that differential.

(note to M’s: do not actually try this! Hire a smart GM! It’s important!)

by marc w on Sep 17, 2008 4:12 PM PDT up reply actions

It's a matter of improving the team, on a position to position basis, by enough runs (whether defensively or offensively)

Plus building organizational depth. The latter is the far bigger problem. The former can be done enough to create a competitive team in the present. This team’s big mistake was mortgaging so much of the future for one piece of the present (Bedard).

by Gomez on Sep 17, 2008 3:15 PM PDT up reply actions

by kentroyals5 on Sep 17, 2008 3:10 PM PDT reply actions

Um.

No thanks.

This signature space for rent.

by PositivePaul on Sep 17, 2008 3:12 PM PDT up reply actions

by PositivePaul on Sep 17, 2008 3:51 PM PDT up reply actions

ouch guys... no bueno

sorry to hear that one.

i don’t think it matters which doctor you go to… Kelvim Escobar went to the Mets’ team doctor to get his shoulder operated on earlier this year. It may just be preference.

Kotch would've had that.

by howiestheman on Sep 18, 2008 8:04 PM PDT reply actions