Gagne done

[Goldmember]

Gagne to have surgery, done for season

07/07/2006 9:19 PM ET

By Ken Gurnick / MLB.com

 

LOS ANGELES -- Eric Gagne's season, all two innings of it, is over.

Gagne will undergo lower back surgery Saturday at St. Vincent's Hospital to repair a herniated disk between the L4-L5 vertebrae after failing to respond to an epidural nerve block administered Thursday. The disk is pressing on a nerve with pain radiating down the leg, an injury believed similar to that suffered by Kevin Brown when he was a Dodger in 2002.

 

Dr. Robert Watkins, who repaired Brown's back with a microscopic laser, will also perform the surgery on Gagne, which is estimated to last 60 to 90 minutes. Gagne is expected to be ready to pitch by the start of Spring Training. Whether or not that will be for the Dodgers is anybody's guess.

 

His contract has a 2007 option for $12 million that will not be picked up or a $1 million club buyout that would still allow him to re-sign as a free agent with the Dodgers, or any club.

 

Gagne, 30, signed that two-year, $19 million deal before the 2005 season. In the two seasons since, he will have pitched 15 1/3 innings, saved nine games and undergone three operations, the other two on his elbow. Of 324 official scheduled games over the two seasons, he was active for only 34.

 

It wasn't always that way for Gagne, who disappointed as a young starter and emerged as closer after the 2002 season started. A three-time All-Star, Gagne became one of the most popular players in Los Angeles Dodgers history, setting an all-time Major League Baseball record for 84 consecutive successful saves and winning the Cy Young Award in 2003, when he saved a career-high 55 games with a 1.20 ERA.

 

Gagne's impact on Los Angeles baseball fans was dramatic. Dodger Stadium patrons, notorious for leaving games early to beat the traffic, began staying until the final out to watch the Canadian, who entered to the deafening sounds of Guns N' Roses' "Welcome to the Jungle" on the stadium P.A. system. Then it was usually "Game Over."

 

Although Gagne and club officials insisted at the time that his heavy workload was closely monitored, three consecutive seasons as the most reliable and durable closer in history took their toll and his physical problems started during the spring of 2005.

 

First a sprained knee, then a sprained elbow, then surgery that revealed scar tissue entrapping a nerve that shut him down last June for the rest of the season after 14 appearances. He didn't look right this spring and finally admitted three days into the season that elbow pain had returned, so he underwent another operation to remove the nerve that was relocated the previous summer. He returned for two appearances last month, saved a game but was in obvious discomfort, and was diagnosed with an injured ulnar nerve June 6.

 

Like Brown before him, Gagne was rehabbing from the injured elbow when his back went out. He told the club he woke up Tuesday in pain and had no idea if he did anything specifically to cause the injury. Gagne was doing some rehab away from the club. He's been hospitalized since Wednesday.

 

The Dodgers announced that Gagne would not return this year. Brown underwent his surgery in June 2002 and rushed back to be pitching in August, but paid a price for his impatience. He had to be shut down that September and was nagged by back injuries the rest of his career until retiring recently.

 

As disappointing as the Gagne loss is for the Dodgers, it's not like he's been a key part of this season, either.

 

"There's not anything that needs to be done," said manager Grady Little. "We've been operating without him anyway."

 

The loss of Gagne and Yhency Brazoban, however, has put a strain on the bullpen all season. Even before this, general manager Ned Colletti said bolstering the pitching was a goal before the July 31 trade deadline, starting or relieving.

[DBAHO]

Yeah so the Dodgers obviously won't pickup his $12M option.

 

Question for you Sox fans. If we didn't have Jenks and Gagne was available in FA which he will be, what type of contract would you offer him, and how much do you think he's going to get?

[G&T]

All he'll get is a one year deal with incentives no matter who wants him. I don't think his injuries are related to mechanics, but his body seems to be breaking down. I wouldn't give him more than a million with incentives going up to maby $3 million. I don't know if he's really worth any effort.

[jackie hayes]

One incentive year with (maybe) a big team option/low buyout for a 2nd. If Gagne's healthy, he's worth quite a bit, so I wouldn't worry too much about the possible value with incentives. My initial reaction is that I would balk at anything above $3 mil in guarantees (keeping in mind that Sox doctors could examine him before the signing).

[Punch and Judy Garland]

I bet he gets 5 with incentives that could nearly double it. He's now the Kerry Wood of relievers. High reward but the risk is crummy. I'd think he'd be a great fit in Atlanta. They are desperate for Pen help and want to take one last shot at a title next year

[Rowand44]

His career is done.

[YASNY]

His career is done.

 

I'm inclined to agree with you.

[Rowand44]

I'm inclined to agree with you.

I hope I'm wrong because he is one of my favorite pitchers in baseball to watch. Unfortunately, I really do believe he's done.

Edited July 12, 2006 by Rowand44

[Reddy]

ok so i hate when this is always brought up but... steroids?

[Sonik22]

ok so i hate when this is always brought up but... steroids?

First thing that came to my head actually.

[jackie hayes]

ok so i hate when this is always brought up but... steroids?

I've heard that tendons or ligaments can become more fragile, but I've never heard that they will affect your nerves or your back. Do you know of any connection?

[Reddy]

I've heard that tendons or ligaments can become more fragile, but I've never heard that they will affect your nerves or your back. Do you know of any connection?

 

not specifically - i'm no doctor - but i do know that mark mcgwire had a ton of back trouble post steroids...

[jackie hayes]

not specifically - i'm no doctor - but i do know that mark mcgwire had a ton of back trouble post steroids...

That's pretty weak, imo.

 

And, to be clear, I'm not saying Gagne did or didn't. I just think that there's gotta be some basis to speculating, some connection between the injury and steroids. It's gotten so that if any big guy stubs his toe, someone suggests steroids.

[fathom]

Here's my opinion on Gagne: I watched him as a starter with the Dodgers, and what I saw was a pretty thin starting pitcher with a solid fastball and good curve. The next season, he comes into camp, and he's this husky closer with a 99 mph fastball and ridiculous torque on his curve. Then, after a few seasons of stellar pitching, his body begins to break down with ligaments, etc. If this doesn't scream steroids, then I don't know what does.

[jackie hayes]

Here's my opinion on Gagne: I watched him as a starter with the Dodgers, and what I saw was a pretty thin starting pitcher with a solid fastball and good curve. The next season, he comes into camp, and he's this husky closer with a 99 mph fastball and ridiculous torque on his curve. Then, after a few seasons of stellar pitching, his body begins to break down with ligaments, etc. If this doesn't scream steroids, then I don't know what does.

First, the ligament injuries don't seem to have anything to do with this new one. So I still think suggesting steroids as a cause isn't really appropriate. Second, he started having ligament problems when he was still a starter (his first TJ was in 1997). So there is the one TJ surgery (plus the bulk). Everything else has been nerve problems. Maybe, maybe not.

[Reddy]

That's pretty weak, imo.

 

And, to be clear, I'm not saying Gagne did or didn't. I just think that there's gotta be some basis to speculating, some connection between the injury and steroids. It's gotten so that if any big guy stubs his toe, someone suggests steroids.

 

thats great, like i said i'm not a friggin doctor - i was merely posing a possibility... and um, gagne did not exactly stub his toe...

 

i'm not one of those people that cries steroids every ten seconds. why dont you re-read my initial post on the matter.

[Gregory Pratt]

Here's my opinion on Gagne: I watched him as a starter with the Dodgers, and what I saw was a pretty thin starting pitcher with a solid fastball and good curve. The next season, he comes into camp, and he's this husky closer with a 99 mph fastball and ridiculous torque on his curve. Then, after a few seasons of stellar pitching, his body begins to break down with ligaments, etc. If this doesn't scream steroids, then I don't know what does.

 

I'm inclined to agree with you.

[SoxAce]

I actually thought he was done before this surgery. I didn't think he would be the same guy. Hell, even watching his commercial about that damn bag proves it. The real Gagne would have put a hole in that f***er.

[jackie hayes]

thats great, like i said i'm not a friggin doctor - i was merely posing a possibility... and um, gagne did not exactly stub his toe...

 

i'm not one of those people that cries steroids every ten seconds. why dont you re-read my initial post on the matter.

And all I did was ask if it's a possibility at all. As for the toe-stubbing bit, Soxtalk doesn't have a color for hyperbole, as far as I know. But I thought it was pretty obvious.

 

I never said YOU "cry steroids" all the time, I'm just saying that it comes up too often. I just wish people would only bring it up when there's a good, documented connection.

[BobDylan]

I actually thought he was done before this surgery. I didn't think he would be the same guy. Hell, even watching his commercial about that damn bag proves it. The real Gagne would have put a hole in that f***er.

 

I saw that commercial for the first time today. I kind of thought the same thing.

Edited July 13, 2006 by BobDylan

[Reddy]

And all I did was ask if it's a possibility at all. As for the toe-stubbing bit, Soxtalk doesn't have a color for hyperbole, as far as I know. But I thought it was pretty obvious.

 

I never said YOU "cry steroids" all the time, I'm just saying that it comes up too often. I just wish people would only bring it up when there's a good, documented connection.

 

i realized the hyperbole. in any case, how often is there a good documented connection?

 

bonds

mcqwire

sosa

palmeiro

canseco

camenitti

(random players suspended)

 

maybe a few others i've forgotten at the moment - point is, if we limit steroid talk to those few guys thats just ... um... stupid knowing how pervasive the steroid use was.

[jackie hayes]

i realized the hyperbole. in any case, how often is there a good documented connection?

 

bonds

mcqwire

sosa

palmeiro

canseco

camenitti

(random players suspended)

 

maybe a few others i've forgotten at the moment - point is, if we limit steroid talk to those few guys thats just ... um... stupid knowing how pervasive the steroid use was.

No, I meant a documented connection between steroids and the medical condition. So, if someone had 5 muscle pulls in his first few years in pro ball, then became a horse for 5 years, and suddenly then has muscle injuries all over again, I'd agree that's suspicious. Or multiple ligament/tendon injuries. Something like that.

[Milkman delivers]

This exact injury may not be connected to steroids, but Gagne was clearly on steroids.

[Balta1701]

This exact injury may not be connected to steroids, but Gagne was clearly on steroids.

No comment on the juice question here, but I'll still say up and down that Gagne's series of injuries is directly related to the LoDuca+Mota for Penny/Choi deal in 2004, and the subsequent choice to ride Gagne's arm into the playoffs afterwards.