Strasburg Likely Needs Tommy John Surgery

Stephen Strasburg has a torn elbow ligament and will most likely need Tommy John surgery, ending his rookie season. This is a giant loss for the Nationals and baseball in general because Strasburg was a HUGE draw for the Nat's usually boring games. Strasburg was pulled from Saturday's game in Philly (fuck Philly) after feeling a discomfort in his elbow after a pitch. At first, the Nationals thought it was nothing more than a strained flexor tendon, until an MRI revealed much more damage. Strasburg will fly to the West Coast to receive another MRI in hope for better news. They are not optimistic about getting that news though.

GM Mike Rizzo gave this comment about the phenom:
""As you can imagine, he was initially upset. But he has really turned himself from being upset to being focused on his rehabilitation. He's determined to get the surgery done and begin the process of rehabilitation."



Tommy John surgery is a very serious procedure and requires 12-18 months of rehab. Some pitchers have fallen off after the surgery (Kerry Wood) and others have gone on to have great careers (Chris Carpenter).


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Diamondbacks Trade Edwin Jackson to White Sox & Other Deadline News

Edwin Jackson after throwing his no-hitter

The Arizona Diamondbacks have traded pitcher Edwin Jackson to the Chicago White Sox for pitchers Daniel Hudson and David Holmberg. Jackson has a 5.16 ERA and 8.1 K/9 on the year and threw a no-hitter on June 25. The White Sox are in talks with the Washington Nationals to potentially flip Jackson for slugger Adam Dunn. I'm not a big Edwin Jackson believer as he hasn't truly proven himself and is owed $8.35 million next year before he'll be eligible for free agency after the 2011 season.

The Nationals are moving in the right direction with young talent that should help them compete in a few years and it would be a mistake to acquire Edwin Jackson for Adam Dunn. They should trade Dunn but they can get more than Edwin Jackson. The Nationals should not be interested in a guy who will make $8.35 million next year and then hit free agency, they need long-term players. If Matt Capps can get them Wilson Ramos, Adam Dunn should get them something even better.

Daniel Hudson is a great addition to the Diamondbacks after they basically gave Dan Haren to the Angels for a bag of baseballs (Joe Saunders). MLBTR had this to say about Hudson and Holmberg...

"Hudson, 23, rocketed up Chicago's farm system last year with 'three solid pitches and natural deception,' according to Baseball America. He's spent most of this season in Triple A, posting a 3.47 ERA, 10.4 K/9, and 3.0 BB/9 with 13 home runs allowed in 93.3 innings. The D'Backs might be concerned that their revamped rotation is built around flyball pitchers, with Ian Kennedy and Joe Saunders already in the fold, but interim GM Jerry Dipoto told MLBTR, 'pitchers with good stuff work just about anywhere' while noting that Kennedy and Hudson miss bats. The D'Backs will have Hudson under team control through 2016 even if they keep him in the Majors the rest of the season."

Holmberg, 19, was drafted in the second round, 71st overall out of high school by the White Sox last year. The southpaw was ranked eighth among Sox prospects by BA heading into the season, with the projection of a 'middle of the rotation workhorse at best.'"

In other MLB trade deadline news...

The Nationals (jesus they are busy) have traded Cristian Guzman to the Texas Rangers (Anthony Andro)

The Dodgers and Tigers are talking to the Cubs about a Ted Lilly trade (Jayson Stark)

The Mets traded Mike Jacobs to the Blue Jays (Andy McCullough)

The Yankees are seriously considering trading for Lance Berkman (Joel Sherman)

The Padres are talking about trading for Paul Maholm - championship! (Paul Morosi)

Nationals Trade Matt Capps to Twins For Wilson Ramos

Saaawweeettt 'stache

The Washington Nationals decided to sell high on Matt Capps and traded him to the Minnesota Twins for catcher Wilson Ramos and pitcher Joe Testa. Capps has 25 saves with a 2.80 ERA and 1.33 WHIP this season. Capps is not as good as his 2.80 ERA suggest but overall he is an above average reliever that converts saves when called upon (even if he makes everyone a little nervous while doing so). He is expected to become the new closer in Minnesota while Jon Rauch will move to a set-up role. Rauch took over as closer when Joe Nathan was injured before the season and posted solid numbers of 21 saves with a 3.05 ERA and 1.36 WHIP. Nationals rookie Drew Storen is expected to become the new closer in Washington and should be picked up in all fantasy leagues.

The catching prospect the Nationals are receiving, Wilson Ramos, has had to deal with injuries in the minors but has the potential to develop into their catcher of the future. The Twins are already set at catcher for next 8 years with one of the best in the game, Joe Mauer, so Ramos was expendable. Ramos is a very solid defensive catcher, throwing out 43% of would-be base stealers, and can swing the bat too. Overall this was a a definite win for the Nubinals as they traded a player they don't even need (and who isn't in their long-term plans) for one of the best catching prospects in the game. Ramos was ranked #58 among all MLB prospects on Baseball America's preseason list. Now the only question is who they will trade Adam Dunn to (and when).

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