Erik Bedard's Season to End With Surgery on Friday

When the Seattle Mariners sent five players to the Baltimore Orioles last February to land Erik Bedard, they did so with the intent of having Bedard help them win the AL West. Instead, in his two seasons as a Mariner Bedard has been paid $14.75 million to make thirty starts while Adam Jones appears on the verge of superstardom for the Orioles.

Needless to say, it hasn't been the greatest trade for the Mariners, and on Wednesday it got a bit worse. Bedard is going to undergo exploratory surgery on his left shoulder and it's going to put an end to his season.

Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu just told us Erik Bedard will undergo exploratory surgery on his labrum area and the bursa complex in his left shoulder on Friday. The team isn't saying it yet, but his season is done.

Dr. Lewis Yocum will probe the area to see whether or not there is anything structurally wrong with Bedard's bursa area. This is the area where the bursa -- which provides lubrication for the shoulder joint -- slides back and forth as a shoulder moves. If something impedes that movement, it can be like a pebble in a shoe, only a whole lot more painful.

There's also some fraying in Bedard's labrum, and Yocum is going to take a look there as well to see if anything needs to be done.

Now even if there's no damage found during this exploratory surgery, unless Dr. Yocum finds the fountain of youth in there, Bedard will still miss the rest of the season. It will be six weeks before he can begin throwing again, and by then the minor-league season will be over, so he won't be able to go on a rehab assignment.

If there's any good news for the Mariners it's that this means they'll probably be able to get Bedard back in Seattle on the cheap next season if they want him. Considering all they gave up to get him, they might want to give him one more chance with a one-year deal just to try to get something out of the trade.