Seattle Mariners closer David Aardsma will undergo surgery to repair a torn labrum on January 3rd, which could put the arbitration-eligible reliever out of action until the end of spring training. According to the Mariners official site, Aardsma had known about the injury for some time but a scan revealed it to be far more severe than initially hoped:
Aardsma, 29, had been bothered by the hip since the end of last season but thought it was an oblique muscle strain that would heal with rest. Instead the issue flared up again when he began throwing a few weeks ago, and tests on Tuesday revealed the labrum tear.
Aardsma had been something of a journeyman before joining the team, but recorded 31 saves for the 61-101 Mariners and was in line for a substantial raise following two seasons of strong performance. With setup man Brandon League waiting in the wings alongside prospects Dan Cortes and Josh Leuke, Seattle are not lacking for potential closers, and as a result the team had been actively shopping Aardsma for the past month. However, this injury will prevent any possible trade until Aardsma has made a full recovery and other teams have had an opportunity to see him pitch.