Marcum to Have Tommy John

It's gonna get rougher.

Another tough break for the Toronto Blue Jays, Shaun Marcum has to have surgery on his elbow. It's another paycheck for Dr. Andrews, but it's 12 months or more of rehab for Marcum. This season, he was 9-7 with a 3.39 ERA with a 1.16 WHIP with 123 K and 50 BB in 151.1 IP. He was supposed to be the next big cog in that rotation. That rotation was supposed to be Roy Halladay, Dustin McGowan, Shaun Marcum, Jesse Litsch, and maybe AJ Burnett (if they could keep him). Instead, they're left with Halladay and Litsch. Not that Litsch isn't good, but I think the Blue Jays would prefer McGowan (shoulder surgery and out until about May) and Marcum over just Litsch. If possible, they would have liked all three. Does this knock them out of talks for winning next season, even with Travis Snider, Adam Lind, and JP Arencibia? Brett Cecil could step in, but he's a former closer. If the "30 Inning" rule doesn't apply to him, it doesn't to anyone, and in case it does, he can only throw about 150 IP next season. Other guys like David Purcey and Casey Janssen could also be options, but they don't seem as good as Marcum and McGowan. It'll be rough for the Blue Jays next year.