FEBRUARY 13: Bailey is hoping to be ready for a return by around the first of June, he tells C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer. The righty stressed that he does not have any broader elbow concerns beyond the bone spurs that were removed.
“I knew it wasn’t the other stuff,” he said. “I went through all that, I wasn’t feeling pain where the ligament did, where the tendon did, it was in a bunch of different places. It was mainly due to the elbow swelling. … It’s nice to have some answers.”
FEBRUARY 8: Reds right-hander Homer Bailey underwent surgery today to remove bone spurs from his right elbow, as Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer tweets. Bailey will be shut down from throwing for the next four to six weeks and is likely to begin the season on the disabled list.
For Bailey, the setback is the latest in what has been a cavalcade of injuries since signing a six-year contract extension with the Reds. Bailey inked his $105MM contract prior to the 2014 season and pitched well for much of the year, but that campaign was halted by a strained flexor mass in his right arm. The 2015 season brought even worse news, as Bailey suffered ligament damage in April that ultimately led to Tommy John surgery the following month. He missed the vast majority of the 2016 season recovering from that procedure as well.
All told, Bailey has been limited to just 34 1/3 innings over the past two seasons combined, and he’s thrown a total of 180 innings since signing the aforementioned six-year deal. While this latest setback will obviously delay his 2017 debut, the Reds can only hope that it’ll prove to be only a minor hindrance in an otherwise healthy season. Bailey is still owed a total of $68MM over the next three seasons.
In the short-term, the latest Bailey injury could open the door for one of the Reds’ many encouraging young arms to break camp with the team. As it stands, Anthony DeSclafani, Brandon Finnegan and veteran Scott Feldman (an offseason addition) appear locks to make the Reds’ Opening Day rotation. Others in competition for the fourth and fifth spots will include Robert Stephenson, Cody Reed, Amir Garrett, Tim Adleman and Rookie Davis. Each of Stephenson, Garrett and Reed currently rank or have ranked among the game’s Top 100 prospects in the past calendar year, although Reed’s struggles in his 2016 debut have caused his stock to slip somewhat.
Better now than later … but damn !
3 seasons straight unhealthy
Reasons to believe he’ll ever be reliable again are dwindling
….and all I can do is remember back to when the Reds were trying to decide between him and Cueto for the long-term deal. ::sigh:: –T /|\
cueto was coming off a injury plagued year when Bailey signed. Reds had four starters, five if you count Simon, hitting FA at same time. Needed to lock at least one of them up, I’m guessing that Cueto rejected offer since he felt he could do better healthy. Leake wasn’t at Latos/Bailey level so they went to those two with likely the same offer.
I’m fine with anyone saying if only the Reds signed Latos. I don’t think Cueto was ever really in the cards at the amount that Bailey signed for.
Any chance they add another vet or two now? At least on a minor league deal?
I’m going to be so pissed if Bronson Arroyo has a better year than Homer Bailey.
With Robert Stephenson and Cody Reed as the favorites competing for the two open spots, I doubt it. They already have Amir Garrett (who should start in AAA for service time concerns) plus Bronson Arroyo and Tim Adleman for depth.
I guess you can never have too much depth, but the AAA rotation is pretty full of young prospects, and the chances of another veteran, after already adding Feldman, making the team seems… slim.
I’m just skeptical because both of those guys were AWFUL last year. I’m still confident that they’ll get better and be valuable to the Reds, but still. If I’m the Reds, I’d have two or three more potential rotation options in camp.
Worst contract in MLB history?
It’s not like he had a say in this….
But personally I would put Billy Butler’s 3/30mill with the As over this.
Homer has still been reliable when healthy under this contract, Butler simply could not play. He was signed for his hitting prowess and when that part of his game flaked out, he was useless. It was just a terrible signing for the As
Not even top 10. There have been plenty of bad contracts. Ryan Howards tops my list it was awful the moment he signed it. Bailey’s would have been fine if not for injury, you can’t plan for injuries.
The 2nd A-Rod deal also bad, Mauer’s after his MVP year bad as well. Albert Belle signed a deal and was on the DL list for two or three years instead of retiring.
Yeah, calling it the worst contract in MLB history is pretty dumb. There are lots of guys who are overpaid or under-perform, but their careers are kept alive entirely due to their salary. Ryan Howard is a great example.
Schellis is absolutely right, Bailey would’ve been fine – not exceptional but fine – if it weren’t for injuries, and you can’t plan for injuries. Guys get hurt, it’s part of the game. Look at Prince Fielder, no longer able to play, which nobody saw coming.
One of the worst for sure. Was an overpay from the get go.
Its up there but I think its too soon to say its the worst
Arent the Mets still paying Bobby Bonilla?
$1.13 million annually until 2035, way to go METS!! Bonilla laughing all the way to the bank, gotta love guaranteed money!
My gosh, I totally forgot about that….
A-Rod’s last 10 year extension was much worse!
Not even top 10
Ryan Howard’s and Josh hamiltons are probably the worst ever.
Justin Smoak has the current worst contract. 2 years for a total of $8.5M, sure it’s not a massive commitment, but he’s not an MLB caliber player.
No, that would be Albert Pujols.
BJ Upton and Dan Uggla being literally the worst two regular players in baseball who happened to play for the same team. Dan’s wasn’t the wastebasket that Upton’s was though and that says a lot about how putrid BJ was for Atlanta the 2 years he was there.
Not even worst contract for a pitcher (Ziti, Santana, Igawa, Park, Hampton). And overall, what about Bay with the Mets, or that contract the Red Sox gave to Crawford?
Pavano
And let’s not forget Kevin Brown
Zito pitched and won two of the most pivotal Giants games in history leading to a World Series ring in 2012.
That counts for something.
I agree that Bailey was an overpriced starting pitcher. I believe his best days have come and gone.
For some much needed perspective, he’s a 30 year old who’ll be out 4-6 weeks after having bone fragments removed. He could still have several good years ahead.
But then something will happen and he will go back on the DL. It’s just what he does.
If Bailey wouldn’t have had those 2 No-Hitters he wouldn’t of gotten that deal! I sure wish the money would have been directed to Cueto! Here’s to hoping he gets healthy and makes us all forget about it by having an amazing second half of 2017!
They still would have traded Cueto, just as they would have traded Bailey if he was healthy.
How was this not done earlier in the offseason?
What doctors screwed up?
That’s what I’m wondering why was this not done at the end of 16 season?? Come on Reds get it together now!!
I mean he is basically Darren Dreifort 2.0 but wth 2 no-hitters right? Signed to a big contract but can’t stay healthy to fulfill it.
This surgery needs to happen well before mid-February. Did I miss a detail? Come on, Reds.
Why now? Did he hurt his elbow lifting his travel bags for Spring Training?
Would you plan your surgery for your vacation time? He wants to be on the clock! ( sarcasm )
Giancarlo Stanton at $325M 13 years 2015-2027 is the largest contact in MLB history.
Zack Greinke makes the most per season with an average of $34.4M
Josh Hamilton’s contract IMO is the worst ever. 5Y-$125M 2013-2017. He posted 1 mediocre year in 2013..
I was hoping he’d have a solid first half to give the Reds an opportunity to deal him for more rebuild ammo, but the way this keeps playing out it looks like they’re gonna have to ride out this contract at least another year.