Pedroia out with renewed left knee pain

[oldtimer]

From Boston.com:

 

Dr. Christopher Geary, an orthopedic surgeon at Tufts Medical Center who has not treated Pedroia, described this type of operation as “a much bigger procedure’’ than anything Pedroia has had to this point.

 

“If he was 16, they do either knee replacement or a partial knee replacement,’’ said Geary. “But because of his age [35], there’s a relatively newer technique where they take what’s called a mega allograft. They take it from a cadaver and plug it in where the cartilage is no good.”

 

https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-red-sox/2019/08/07/dustin-pedroia-knee-surgery-2

 

It goes on to say that this is a day to day living procedure, not a get back to playing sports procedure.

 

It is sad but perhaps the surgery will allow him to live a normal life without pain in his knee. He shouldn't be put through the charade of trying to rehab with a return to the majors expected. We get to pay his contract as more dead money and an additional handicap for the team.

[jacksonianmarch]

Cadaveric meniscus transplant.

[Donnie Sadler was short]

It is sad but perhaps the surgery will allow him to live a normal life without pain in his knee. He shouldn't be put through the charade of trying to rehab with a return to the majors expected. We get to pay his contract as more dead money and an additional handicap for the team.

 

I dont want to beat a dead horse, but there is always the possibility that he retires which would free up the money, right?

[jad]

I dont want to beat a dead horse, but there is always the possibility that he retires which would free up the money, right?

 

Why should he? This is why the Union negotiated for guaranteed contracts. It's not like they didn't know there might be injuries such as this. The RS gave him the contract. So pay him and move on.

[illinoisredsox]

Why should he? This is why the Union negotiated for guaranteed contracts. It's not like they didn't know there might be injuries such as this. The RS gave him the contract. So pay him and move on.

 

I agree. This isn't a guy who is choosing to "walk" away or was hurt doing something stupid in the off-season. It's baseball injury related. You have to honor the terms of the contract.

 

Now when the next CBA comes up, perhaps language can be negotiated so that situations like this don't count against the various cap levels. But those aren't the rules right now.

[moonslav59]

MLBTR...

 

7:40pm: The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier reports several details on the procedure performed on Pedroia.

 

The 35-year-old underwent a “relatively new” surgery called a “subchondroplasty” aimed at repairing multiple hairline fractures that had formed and strengthening the bones in his knee. He also had several bone spurs removed. Speier also quotes an orthopedic surgeon (Twitter link) in calling today’s surgery a “much bigger” procedure than the previous surgeries performed on Pedroia’s knee. The Globe’s Peter Abraham tweets that this particular surgery is sometimes performed as an alternative to a knee replacement.

[jacksonianmarch]

I agree. This isn't a guy who is choosing to "walk" away or was hurt doing something stupid in the off-season. It's baseball injury related. You have to honor the terms of the contract.

 

Now when the next CBA comes up, perhaps language can be negotiated so that situations like this don't count against the various cap levels. But those aren't the rules right now.

 

That is what I would add in. I'd add IR, which is season ending and shifts the contract from the time of placement into a non-lux tax counting spot. I'd keep 20% of the contract on the books no matter what, but shift a maximum of 80% of the contract into the IR pool. That would free up almost $11 mil for the sox

[notin]

I dont want to beat a dead horse, but there is always the possibility that he retires which would free up the money, right?

 

That dead horse has already been beaten into oblivion. There’s no chance he retires...

[notin]

That is what I would add in. I'd add IR, which is season ending and shifts the contract from the time of placement into a non-lux tax counting spot. I'd keep 20% of the contract on the books no matter what, but shift a maximum of 80% of the contract into the IR pool. That would free up almost $11 mil for the sox

 

Why? Those kind of addendums are exactly what the CBA is supposed to prevent - more spending room for wealthier teams...

[jad]

MLBTR...

 

7:40pm: The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier reports several details on the procedure performed on Pedroia.

 

The 35-year-old underwent a “relatively new” surgery called a “subchondroplasty” aimed at repairing multiple hairline fractures that had formed and strengthening the bones in his knee. He also had several bone spurs removed. Speier also quotes an orthopedic surgeon (Twitter link) in calling today’s surgery a “much bigger” procedure than the previous surgeries performed on Pedroia’s knee. The Globe’s Peter Abraham tweets that this particular surgery is sometimes performed as an alternative to a knee replacement.

 

"Multiple hairline fractures"? Any sense that this was exacerbated by 'microfracture' surgery itself?

[Larry33]

You are incorrect. If Pedroia retires, he is out and gets nothing more.

 

This is why Prince Fielder is technically not retired but remains in name only on the 60 day IL for the Rangers, and will for another full year. If Prince officially retired, he would have forfeited $96mill...

 

Wrong Pedey condition is directly related to playing a on the field injury if he's unable to ever play again the Red Sox are still responsible for his contract.

 

Prince Fielder was declared medically unfit for baseball the Rangers had his contract insured they pay the difference that the insurance doesn't cover.

 

Prince Fielder officially retired from baseball.

[Larry33]

I think he’s saying Ellsbury is paid less than his estimate of the settlement with the insurance company...

 

Ellsbury is getting paid his full contract value what the insurance doesn't cover the Yankees are responsible for the rest.

[Larry33]

Ellsbury is dumber than a door nail.

 

Ellsbury played it smart he went for the money, the owners consider it a business nobody is around for ever so might as well take all you can get.

[jacksonianmarch]

"Multiple hairline fractures"? Any sense that this was exacerbated by 'microfracture' surgery itself?

 

Sounds like failed micro fracture surgery

[Larry33]

The MLBPA isn’t a real union. It’s not like they have sympathy strikes to support, say, the UAW.

 

And really, the “labor struggles” in MLB boil down to about a thousand people fighting on how to divide up several billion dollars...

 

MLBPA is just like any other union they did exactly like any other trade or group union it gave solidarity to a group of individuals with a common interest.

[kenmeister]

Ellsbury played it smart he went for the money, the owners consider it a business nobody is around for ever so might as well take all you can get.

 

None of us would have done any differently. When a team wants to throw millions of dollars more money at you than anybody else, you take it.

 

Conversely, Nomar was a fool for turning down the $60 million extension from the Sox.

[illinoisredsox]

Why? Those kind of addendums are exactly what the CBA is supposed to prevent - more spending room for wealthier teams...

 

It would be part of the CBA language. I would not allow the salary of a player injured during the season to be exempt from luxury tax considerations for that season. You were counting on that player for that year and he got hurt.

 

However, I would be in favor in a situation like Pedroia’s where the it’s a career ending injury to allow that salary (or at least a portion of it) to “go off the books”. And it can’t be discretionary; it would have to be verified independently of the team. From a players association point of view, all Pedroia’s case means is that there’s ~$25 million not available to go to other players.

 

 

Don’t know enough about the Prince Fielder case or Ellsbury’s situation go know if the Rangers or Yankees would be able to put those contracts off the books. If they are similar enough, I’d have no problem with it.

[jad]

It would be part of the CBA language. I would not allow the salary of a player injured during the season to be exempt from luxury tax considerations for that season. You were counting on that player for that year and he got hurt.

 

However, I would be in favor in a situation like Pedroia’s where the it’s a career ending injury to allow that salary (or at least a portion of it) to “go off the books”. And it can’t be discretionary; it would have to be verified independently of the team. From a players association point of view, all Pedroia’s case means is that there’s ~$25 million not available to go to other players.

 

 

Don’t know enough about the Prince Fielder case or Ellsbury’s situation go know if the Rangers or Yankees would be able to put those contracts off the books. If they are similar enough, I’d have no problem with it.

 

But allowing for exemptions only makes the problem worse, since only rich teams can afford these multi-bazillion dollar and multi-year contracts. They should not be able to get out from under them,which they most certainly will do (case in point, the Yankees' repeated efforts to embarrass A-rod into retiring.) No team should be able to outbid weaker teams in the hope that they will find some loop-hole in the future to avoid paying up.