Phillies right-hander Roy Halladay will undergo surgery on his right shoulder to remove a bone spur and repair a partially torn rotator cuff and fraying labrum, he announced today. Halladay, who spoke to reporters today (including MLB.com's Todd Zolecki) remains optimistic that he will pitch again in 2013, as doctors will look to make the procedure as non-invasive as possible.
This is clearly a large blow to Hallday's free agent stock, as his contract expires at the end of the 2013 season. Halladay has a vesting option that triggers with 225 innings this season or a combined 415 innings between 2012-13. Obviously, neither of those is attainable with him likely on the shelf for what could be a few months.
Halladay will be 36 this offseason and will turn 37 in May 2014, so buyers will be understandably hesitant to commit to him following shoulder surgery. However, we've seen injury-plagued aces such as Ben Sheets (with the A's in 2010) and Dan Haren (with the Nationals this offseason) land one-year deals worth $10MM+, and that outcome seems possible for Halladay, particularly if he pitches again this season and looks sharp.
The veteran was dogged by questions about his velocity heading into the 2013 season and won't get the chance to silence his critics for at least a little while. Through seven starts, Halladay posted a 8.65 ERA with 35 strikeouts and 17 walks for the Phillies. Halladay was asked by reporters if he could be willing to return to the Phillies on a cut-rate deal but didn't seem willing to get into that at this juncture. The veteran also said he wouldn't rule out transitioning into a bullpen role if he can't get enough rehab innings on his way back.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
