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Joel Zumaya Out For Half Of 2008?

By faketeams

Wow.  No sooner did the Detroit News run an article about the team's desire to resign last season's closer, Todd Jones, as a saftey net in case new closer Joel Zumaya failed, then this news breaks.  

The Detroit Tigers today announced righthanded pitcher Joel Zumaya underwent surgery yesterday at the Scripps Clinic in San Diego. Zumaya had an AC joint reconstruction on his right shoulder, a procedure performed by Dr. Heinz Hoenecke and Dr. Jan Fronek. He was injured moving personal items during the California wildfires.

Zumaya will rest his shoulder for the next six weeks, before he will be able to begin an active rehabilitation program. He is expected to begin a strengthening program in three months and it is anticipated he will begin a throwing program in four months. The club is hopeful Zumaya will return to pitching at the mid-season point in 2008.


Will he be able to shave?
Sadly, this eliminates one potential source of high Saves, High Ks relievers.  As such, he would have been one of the more valuable pitchers in fantasy baseball.  Forty Save and 100 strikeout relievers do not occur much more than once or twice every year.

However, keeper leagues could see a heated bidding war for the injured flamethrower.  As a Zumaya owner, I am not automatically throwing him back at $5.  What is more challenging to determine is how much more will he go for in an auction draft in an AL-only 4X4 league.

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