Oh boy. We're barely into spring training and closer Joe Nathan has a serious ligament tear in his throwing arm. The party line is that Nathan will work on strengthening his arm and will not throw for a couple of weeks and then they will see where he is at. They say that it is still possible for Nathan to pitch this year, but I'm highly skeptical.
Even if he is physically able to pitch in a couple of weeks, the injury will be hanging over him and the team for the entire season. "Is this the appearance where he tears it completely?" will be in the back of everyone's mind every time he walks to the mound. I would think that would be something Nathan would be thinking also. Perhaps he can put that aside and still pitch effectively, but I think that would require an extraordinary mental toughness that isn't fair to expect from anyone.
The fix for the elbow is total ligament replacement, the Tommy John surgery, and that would end this season for Nathan and maybe even see him out the next too. The Twins are already thinking about replacements and the only good news is that they have a ton of good arms competing for roster spots this spring. This will change the dynamics of that substantially and we'll have to see who steps up over the next few weeks. The news has unleashed a ton of speculation and the experts are coming out of the woodwork, but I think we'll just have to leave it in the capable hands of the Twins management and see what develops.
This is a blow to the club and the fans, but I really feel bad for Joe. He's at the top of his game and the Twins have a real chance to contend this year. And he's genuinely a good guy from all accounts. Good luck, Joe.
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