Report: Neshek to have Tommy John surgery
Posted on November 11th, 2008 – 2:46 PMBy Joe Christensen
Seth Stohs, who runs the well-respected Twins blog “Seth Speaks,” is reporting that reliever Pat Neshek will have Tommy John ligament-replacement surgery next week and miss the 2009 season. Stohs cited a source close to the situation.
Neshek was scheduled to have a magnetic resonance imaging exam on his right elbow today, along with an evaluation by Twins physician Dr. Dan Buss.
Stohs had Neshek as a guest for his weekly podcast recently and has been in contact with Neshek since he was coming through the Twins’ minor-league system. We’re in the process of confirming the details now and will provide updates as we get them.
67 Responses to "Report: Neshek to have Tommy John surgery"
Wow!! Not Good…
What a bunch of idiots. Seriously, he could have had the surgery back in May? June? when he went down and been on schedule to possibly pitch next year. No, let’s just give it “rest” like they tried with Liriano. Now he will be out for all of 2009. Another stupendous job of handling an injury by the Twins. AWESOME!!!
Now they need to move Perkins to the bullpen and bring up another young guy to pitch in the rotation.
I think Perkins would be a reliable guy in the 7th and 8th innings.
Obviously he is left handed and Neshek is a righty, but moving a quality arm to the pen and having the young guys compete for the 5th spot makes sense.
He probably would of missed next season anyway if he had the surgery earlier. It will be a big loss and unless they can find somebody else to take his spot.
Best wishes to our hometown boy.
Next up: add another DEPENDABLE arm to our to-do-list.
Too many sprouts in that no-meat diet.
I feared this would happen when I saw he had a set back the other day. Hopefully all will go well and Neshek will be able to return to baseball sometime in 2010.
For the Twins, it is now clear they must find some relief help for the foreseeable future.
Mijares will take over the 8th inning role and may have anyway. oh and i love how everyone is a doctor now. Gimmie a break MORONS!
Twins will need to try and get Huston Street in a package with Garret Atkins. Perhaps Cuddyer/Perkins and a B prospect could do it.
If you read the “Seth Speaks” article you’ll see that he tore the other side of the ligament that caused him to miss last season while doing rehab in Ft. Myers. The original injury had healed - this one sounds new. I agree with the vegan diet theory for the cause of his problems.
Nuts! That’s awful for Neshek and for the Twins. Good luck to him with the surgery.
(assuming the “vegetarianism = injury” comment was an attempt at a joke)
If this turns out to be accurate, then kudos to Seth for the scoop. I’m sure there will be a discussion on his podcast tonight: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/SethSpeaks
Would getting TJ had really gotten him ready in time for 09? To me it seems more like he’d have been a year out anyway.
Hopefully he comes back strong…instead of pulling a Joe Mays. Surgery (no matter when you have it) is never good.
I wish Neshek the very best on his surgery, and recovery…
Is there any way that we could get some testosterone sent to Twins ownership group so that now they would go out and spend some money to make this team dominate?
Neshek gone… it’s time for Humber to step up, Mijares (however his name is spelled forgive me) to step up, and for Ole Chubby Booflet to give up, and let real men pitch inside the Dome in 2009.
I just typed in a comment and when I checked my name required screen, email address and everything was all blank. What’s up with that?
That’s a real bummer. Maybe it’s better that this happened now rather than a few weeks into the season- now they know Pat’s not coming back and they have the entire offseason to address the situation.
Gimme a break, you would have a hard time linking this to his diet.
He is a professional. There are ways that dieticians can piece together a diet for a vegan that will provide all the complete proteins (Soybeans and Peanuts are both Very High in protein and totally ok for vegans) and complex carbohydrates needed for a healthy diet. There are plenty of ways to have a complete healthy diet without eating animals or animal products. Personally i would never be able to give up steaks, they are too delicious!
Hindsight’s 20/20
Tommy John surgeries for everyone!
8th / 9th =
Trevor Hoffman / Joe Nathan
in my dreams.
“how do you like me now.” For all those who didn’t think we could’ve used Bradford last year and this next year….
Maybe someone like Slama, Mulvey or Humber can fill the role. If they want a submariner I think the Rays’ Bradford is a free agent.
Ah, CRAP. That totally sucks. I wish him a speedy and FULL recovery…hang in there man!
I wonder if Slama or Delaney could play a role in 2009? Might be rushing them, but think about 2010 with one or both of them rounding into Major League form, Neshek returning, and of course Nathan in the back.
Major stinkage. Crud, crud, crud. Can’t afford to lose a cheeeeeap fix that is veeeeery effective as a setup man. For us to get someone for the same role will cost the team way more then what we give Neshek. I knew he should have just had the bloody thing taken care of last season.
I think most of the blog wanted Bradford, i don’t believe he is a free agent.
Bradford is not a free agent, he will make 3.5 million this year and we could’ve had him for a player to be named later, on August 5th or earlier. A top 7th and 8th inning guy. He would’ve made the difference in more than one game, which means we would have made the post season. Plus he would’ve been insurance for Neshek. Our FA really sucks sometimes.
I’m not biter about all of this…..
Bradford is not a free agent, he will make 3.5 million this year and we could’ve had him for a player to be named later, on August 5th or earlier. A top 7th and 8th inning guy. He would’ve made the difference in more than one game, which means we would have made the post season. Plus he would’ve been insurance for Neshek. Our FA really sucks sometimes.
I’m not biter about all of this…..
I have no clue how some dude named brent just said what I said. He’s brilliant by the way.
WOW!!THIS IS THE WORST!!
More important than the twins trading for a right-handed power hitting 3B is the return to dominance in our 8th innings next season!!! Maybe Mijares can pull it off, but it’s alot to ask such a young pitcher!!
THYROS 98 if your out there
Do you think the twins will give Delainey of Slama a chance to pitch in the majors next season?
FA = FO (front office), my bad.
rghrbek Brent is a genius I think.
Does anyone think we would have gotten rid of Reyes had we known that Neshek would be out for 09.
Terrible, stinky, rotten news. Mijares looks like he should be able to fill the set-up roll, but who will set him up? Someone mentioned Perkins. Not a bad idea since Perkins seems to flourish for a few innings before tiring or losing focus.
“Does anyone think we would have gotten rid of Reyes”
They haven’t gotten rid of him yet. In fact, they have exclusive rights to negotiate with him for a little while. I still don’t think he’ll be back.
Losing Neshek for another year is about as troubling as losing Livan Hernandez or Mike Lamb last year. Who cares. His goofy gimmick delivery wasn’t effective anymore anyway. He was getting beat around in the end of 07 and was terrible til he got hurt in 08. I’d much rather see Duensing, Humber, Mulvey, Delaney, Julianel, and Swarzak get shots in the pen and/or rotation. No Neshek opens up a spot for one of them.
jimmy bee says:
November 11th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
Does anyone think we would have gotten rid of Reyes had we known that Neshek would be out for 09.
they haven’t re-signed him and I still don’t think they will. He’ll get a 3-4 year deal somewhere/ He isn’t worth it. When he leaves, the Twins will get a draft pick for him. No big loss.
Seth Speaks I would really like for the Twins to hold onto Reyes even if he is just a short inning reliever. If so how much could he possibly cost to retain.
This hurts….bad. We better find someone who can pitch the 8th. Good Luck Pat!!!
K Rod to setup Nathan would be just evil??? Or the other way around. Just a thought.
Definately sucks, and when the injury first occured i was hoping they would have got the surgery over with so he’d be good to go early this season….now instead of missing 1 season its 2.
I’m comfortable with a Mijares/Nathan 8/9 duo….and even though i think Guerreir will continue to struggle, i expect Crain to return to form. Throw in Breslow who was great and i think we will be ok
Priority #1 - Bullpen
Priority #2 - Bullpen
3b with Buescher/Harris combo will be OK. Even punto at ss, but the bullpen fix IS the PRIORITY!
Think it might be time for the Twins revise their medical opinions, for this to happen twice in the last few years is absurd.
However the MLBPA has a “second opinion” policy written into the collective bargaining agreement so a measure of responsibility certainly falls on Neshek and his representatives.
Just too bad for all involved.
THYROS 98 if your out there
Do you think the twins will give Delainey of Slama a chance to pitch in the majors next season?
Maybe, but based on their AFL performances I do not really expect much out of them. There are several decent free agent options for relievers out there (e.g. Jeremy Affeldt, Juan Cruz, Trevor Hoffman, Rafael Soriano) that could step in the set up role pretty quickly and will not cost an arm and a leg.
Mijares looked great at the end of last year and I think he was coming of his accident. So, my hope is he will be even better next season. Losing Neshek hurts badly and kills the depth we would have had, but we will prevail! We have a good young starting 5 and hopefully someone will come up through the minors and we will be alright.
Go Twins!
Jake
This is bad news on many levels, but for some reason I trust the FO not to be hasty about acquiring a right arm in free agency. Free Agent relievers hardly ever work out - they’re overpaid because of their overwork in previous seasons, and they’re just not worth it. Nathan is a bit of an anomaly in his longevity as a closer - there really aren’t that many successful veteran closers. You’ve got Nathan, K-Rod, and Mariano Rivera. I’m not thinking of others.
As far as payroll and prioritization of bullpen, SS and 3B go, the Twins have about $30 M to spend (more if they can unload Cuddy’s contract). $30 mil will be more than enough to take care of all 3 areas.
The Twins will sign a FA reliever. Problem is his name will be Eddie Guardado.
We’ll be lucky if we re-sign Dennys!! You are only making your disappointment that much worse when they do nothing more than a few minor low-budget moves. The Twins are who they are and usually do better than expected anyway. Hopefully the kid can rebound in 2010… Until the game gets a salary cap we will NEVER be players in FA - unles you include giving our guys up to the BoSox, Yanks, Mets, etc. etc.
It won’t be as bad as everyone thinks. Even without Neshek, the bullpen will be improved (and we still tied for first in 2008 with the bullpen we had): #1 we won’t be starting the year with Juan Rincon. #2 Mijares. #3 Breslow #4 Guerrier will be better if not used so much. #5 Crain should have a better year in 2009, the second year after his injury
Well, crap. I was hoping he’d be all healed & ready to go for ‘09, but somewhere in the back of my mind I thought this could happen.
#6 our starters should be better, going deeper into games and doing a better job holding leads
What a sad deal for Neshek. We all wish him the best and hope he can return in ‘10 ready to go.
For next season, I would not favor spending big on FA relievers. This is one area where the Twins have had good success promoting within, so hopefully Mijares can produce, and with one or two others, will stabilize a real weakness. I may be in the minority, but I thought Breslow did a good job, and will be helpful next season as well. Reyes will cost too much. Better to open his spot to one of the kids. In the end, there is nothing like a lot of competition to bring out the best talent available. So I hope they will open it up in spring training to the best available arms, and go forth boldly into the new season, confident, fearless, and ready to rumble, especially with the CWS.
Now, let’s go sign Adam Dunn.
Wow, not good Joe — Seth isn’t even a professional reporter, but he got the scoop on all of you! For shame
Too bad, kid, there goes the career. Hopefully he’ll latch on to something good in the world outside baseball.
Someone said they ‘trust the front office not to rush into free agency to sign a relief pitcher” … YOU THINK??
I agree with the comments about not spending FA money on relievers. Mijares proved himself to be more than a capable 8th inning guy. Let’s spend money on JJ Hardy instead.
Tom Dierkes in MLB Trade Rumors says that the Twins are interested in Huston Street. Maybe a blockbuster trade with Rockies where Twins would receive Atkins and Street.
I still have faith in Crain. He’s got good stuff. With a good offseason, and if he comes in healthy in March, I think he could do the job. Of course he isn’t lights out or anything. But servicable.
The Twins interest in Street originally was noted by Lavelle Neal.
I’m not a big fan of going after the megadeal rumor of Atkins/Street. I think AaronGleeman’s analysis of a Busher/Harris platoon vs. Atkins is spot on. And it will cost a fraction of the price. Spend the money on a shortstop instead. JJ Hardy!!
Nice one Twins, the mismanagement of the pitchers continues. What a bunch of hacks and man this get freaking old.
I didn’t know he was a vegan, does that mean he wears a glove made of something other than an animal product? The vegans I have known are all extremists. Can you imagine life without bacon?
You just don’t start cutting on guys’ arms nowadays. They did that in the ’60s and ’70s and it didn’t work very well … If Neshek had TJ this summer, a good portion of 2009 would still be in doubt.
Besides, we need more than just him in the bp with Nathan.
WTF?! The Twins are usually smart and cautious with pitchers…usually working out in their favor. This has to be one of the bigger blunders of the past few years. Now Neshek will be out for a total of 18 months. MN will definitely have to find another RHP, and NOT move Perkins to the pen.
Perk is good, but they have Reyes and Breslow as LHP in the pen…they don’t need a 3rd. Way to go Twins!
Whose idea was it for him to avoid surgery this past summer? If it was Bill Smith’s, he’s off to a roaring start as Twins GM.
Let Santana go for a #9 hitting centerfielder and 3 minor leaguers who may never be major league ready.
Let Hunter go for nothing but a couple of draft picks.
Trade a great young arm and your starting shortstop for a utility infielder (Harris), and a light-hitting leftfielder (Young).
WOW!! Smith should fire himself and rehire Terry Ryan.
The Twins are usually cautious with pitchers - but smart? Then why does Tampa Bay send Garza to a psychologist and he ends up as MVP of the ALCS?
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Jackson,
Good points…Could have signed Hunter & Santana, kept Bartlett & Garza…finished 4/5th for years to come.
I like your upgrade.
Regards,
