The MRI was performed this afternoon and showed a torn labrum which will require surgery. Dr. James Andrews, baseball's orthopedic guru, will perform the surgery as quickly as it can be scheduled. General recovery time from the operation is six months, which effectively ends Anderson's season. The news about Anderson follows the loss of fellow starter Gil Meche, who had fraying of the labrum in his shoulder repaired on Feb. 6 by Andrews. Anderson's injury, a complete tear, is a more serious injury, but Mariners' studies suggest the rate of complete recovery by pitchers having this surgery is well over 90 percent.
Pitchers are like race horses in that they are delicate.
The Mariners still have six veteran starting pitchers competing for five spots in the rotation. Freddy Garcia, Jamie Moyer, Aaron Sele and John Halama are locks in the rotation. The fifth spot will go to either Paul Abbott or Brett Tomko, and if no trades are made, the loser of the Abbott-Tomko battle this spring will wind up as the long man in the bullpen. Ordinarily that would be enviable depth. But when Meche and Anderson were available, Gillick had reason to believe he had enough depth to trade pitching for a hitter.