The Ryan Madson affair isn’t a case of crying over spilled milk for the Cincinnati Reds, it is a case of crying over spoiled milk.
It is as if somebody paid for a half gallon of milk in a convenience store and when they opened it for consumption it was spoiled.
On a much larger scale, the Reds paid free agent Ryan Madson $8.5 million for one year to be their closer in 2012. But when he tried to throw in spring training, something was wrong, desperately wrong.
They nursed his ouchy elbow for nearly five weeks, giving him treatment and backing him down on his throwing program.
Just when it seemed he was ready to go, after telling people all spring that this was something normal, something he has gone through before in his career, Madson broke down again.
He was sent to Cincinnati for a full examination by team physician Dr. Tim Kremchek and an MRI revealed the ligament was torn from the bone.
To repair it, Tommy John ligament replacement surgery is necessary and it takes a minimum of a year, usually longer, for a pitcher to recover.
The Reds do not have insurance on Madson because they routinely do not insure one-year contracts, so they are out $8.5 million. There is an $11 million mutual option for next year, an option the Reds aren’t likely to pick up for a pitcher coming off major surgery and still rehabilitating the arm.
Fans are reacting negatively already, wondering why the torn ligament wasn’t discovered before the Reds signed Madson on Jan. 20.
That’s because the ligament wasn’t damaged then. He underwent a full examination before the contract was signed and passed. He underwent a full examination before spring training began and again passed.
Fans wonder how a pitcher can tear a ligament without ever throwing a pitch in a game. It can happen playing catch on the side. It can happen doing PFP — pitchers fielding practice. It can happen picking up an equipment bag.
Nobody knows how it happened. But it happened.
And some fans wonder if the Philadelphia Phillies dumped damaged goods on the Reds. That’s not true, either.
The Phillies didn’t push Madson on the Reds. In fact, they offered him a multi-year contract, but when Madson balked the Phillies went elsewhere and signed free agent Jonathon Papelbon. So, there was no trade involved, no skullduggery, the Phillies wouldn’t have offered him a long-term deal if they knew something was wrong with his arm.
It was just one of those unfortunate things that happen every year to every baseball team, a hazard of the game.
And crying over spoiled milk doesn’t solve anything. The Reds do have options.
As manager Dusty Baker says, “I don’t dwell on the negative. I don’t worry about what happens. You look to how you fix it and move on. There is nothing you can do about it, so you don’t fret over it.”
Fortunately, the Reds traded for lefthander Sean Marshall, a guy with some closing experience with the Chicago Cubs and a guy who wants to be a closer.
The Reds traded left-hander starter Travis Wood and rookie outfielder Dave Sappelt for Marshall with a plan to make him the team’s premier left-handed set-up guy.
Nick Masset and Bill Bray are other alternatives. Both had early-spring arm problems, but both appear healthy and ready to do what is necessary, if the Reds prefer to leave Marshall in the set-up role.
But Marshall appears to be the best alternative. And Bray can move into Marshall’s left-handed set-up role.
“That’s why I say you never have enough pitching,” said Baker. “You have to have contingencies. We saw this last year when we lost two starters at the end of spring training — Johnny Cueto and Homer Bailey. We thought we had too much pitching, but you never have too much.”
As far as the extra spot in the bullpen vacated by Madson, there is still the chance Aroldis Chapman could land there. Or maybe Bailey.
All spring, Bailey and Chapman have pitched on the same day, competing for the No. 5 spot in the rotation. Based on numbers, Chapman is far in front — 1-0, 1.50 ERA, two walks, 12 strikeouts to Bailey’s 1-2, 7.93 ERA, seven walks, six strikeouts.
Bailey is out of options, so it isn’t likely they’ll risk losing him by trying to send him back to the minors. He could land in the bullpen.
“That’s what spring training is for, to find out things,” said Baker. “We still have time to make adjustments.”
