Bedard says he wants another shot in Seattle

By TIM BOOTH, AP Sports Writer Aug 15, 10:57 pm EDT

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SEATTLE (AP)—Erik Bedard(notes) doesn’t want shoulder surgery to be the lasting impression he leaves the Seattle Mariners.

Wearing a cumbersome cast and brace a day after surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder, Bedard said before Saturday night’s game against the New York Yankees that he’d like to return to Seattle next season.

Arthroscopic surgery on Bedard’s pitching shoulder Friday also cleaned up other fraying in the joint. Dr. Lewis Yocum, who performed the procedure in Los Angeles, estimates Bedard will be able to throw again in four to six months.

About to become a free agent, Bedard reiterated an interest in staying with Seattle.

“I still feel like that,” he said.

Whether Seattle wants to pay for an injury plagued 30-year-old remains the question.

The Mariners are faced with offering Bedard salary arbitration, which could result in a contract near the $7.75 million he got this season, or letting him leave as a free agent.

Letting him leave after two seasons in which the former Baltimore Orioles ace was largely a bust may result in Seattle getting compensated with draft picks. That’s assuming he qualifies statistically as a top-tier free agent after being hurt so often. He’s been on the active roster for only 20 days since June 17 and didn’t pitch after July 4 last season.

“I’m going to think about that when the offseason comes. I’m not going to think about next year now,” Bedard said. “I’m going to think about getting better and getting strong.”

Asked if the surgery makes it more likely that he’ll come back to Seattle, likely because of reduced interest as a free agent, Bedard bristled.

“What do you think? Not a good question,” he said.

Bedard got a $750,000 raise from Seattle after going 6-4 with a 3.67 ERA in 15 starts last season. He had surgery to remove a cyst and non-healthy tissue in his shoulder last September.

The Mariners have paid Bedard $14.75 million for two seasons in which he won 11 games in 30 starts. He has rarely lasted deep into games since he was acquired from Baltimore in February 2008 for five top prospects. Two of them— closer George Sherrill(notes) and outfielder Adam Jones(notes)—have become All-Stars.

Bedard is confident he can still be the pitcher who went 28-16 his final two seasons with the Orioles.

“I think anybody can come back from anything,” Bedard said. “I’m going to do my best to come back and that’s that.”

Updated Aug 15, 10:57 pm EDT
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32 Comments

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  1. Alex
    32. Posted by Alex Mon Aug 17 7:42pm EDT

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    I do feel a little bit bad for the guy - it's not his fault Bill Bavasi made the trade that he did. However, teams aren't exactly lining up to give Mark Prior $7.75 mill a year. The man has a glass body.
  2. <i>helcow1</i>
    31. Posted by helcow1 Sun Aug 16 1:10pm EDT

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    When Bedard has been on the mound, he has for the most part pitched well. I say if he is willing to come back at a reduced rate on a one year incentive laden contract bring him back. The guy has talent and this Mariner team is going to still need pitching in 2010.
  3. Ron B
    30. Posted by Ron B Sun Aug 16 9:57am EDT

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    hes not healthy...but he is wealthy...and a crybaby
  4. Fin-atic
    29. Posted by Fin-atic Sun Aug 16 3:46am EDT

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    Bedard when healthy isn't worth Adam Jones, much less Sherrill and the others too. Let him and Silva go, they're wasted salary space.
  5. mgb
    28. Posted by mgb Sun Aug 16 2:46am EDT

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    Love these Oriole fans chiming in. Out of last place yet?
  6. Leeroy
    27. Posted by Leeroy Sun Aug 16 1:22am EDT

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    get rid of silva and bedard
  7. Alex
    26. Posted by Alex Sat Aug 8 6:19pm EDT

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    A king's ransom 30 starts and 164 innings. Hope a lesson was learned.
  8. James
    25. Posted by James Fri Aug 7 10:19pm EDT

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    I remember the days of Garrett Olson filling in for an injured Eric Bedard, and I'm glad they're gone. Best trade the O's ever made.
  9. Rob
    24. Posted by Rob Fri Aug 7 9:34pm EDT

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    Terrible, terrible, terrible trade for the Mariners.
  10. Mike McCulloch
    23. Posted by Mike McCulloch Fri Aug 7 12:20am EDT

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    I'm a Tigers fan, and reading some of the stupidity that comes from some of you Mariners fans, cracks me up. Let me let you in on an un-biased observation. You may feel like trading a good young player like Adam Jones to get Bedard was bad, and you may feel like he is too injury prone to help the team long-term. BUT, before you hate on the guy, why don't realize that those are things outside of his control. Please, save the argument that he needs to change his pitching style, because that's ridiculous. You don't change the things that brought you success. He plays through pain, and if you look at the overall statistics and impact he has made when he is healthy, you just can't argue with the performance. I doubt he wants to be injured and missing time than any more than you want him to be.
  11. Jerry
    22. Posted by Jerry Thu Aug 6 11:18am EDT

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    Put afork in him. He is done has been done everysince her got here. He doesnt like it here. very high maintenance
  12. Rob
    21. Posted by Rob Wed Aug 5 9:35pm EDT

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    Bedard is a @#$%.
  13. Matt
    20. Posted by Matt Wed Aug 5 8:09pm EDT

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    'FOr all of you IDIOTS saying to toughen up have you ever pitched? Let alone thrown with the power he does?' - I don't get this kind of argument and never have. Doesn't matter whether any of us out here have pitched or not. The reality is that Bedard *IS* a big league pitcher; it's what he does for his career. There are quite a number of others who pitch for a career as well - and frankly, pitch better and/or pitch harder - without anywhere near the same amount of time spent on the DL. Yes, the type of movement that is involved in pitching is actually very detrimental to the human body, causing it to break down quickly. It just seems that Bedard is constantly breaking down. And if you had an expensive car that was always breaking down, you'd trade it in or sell it off outright to someone else. I'm not saying Bedard has to toughen up, but he should take a long hard look and see if his body is truly capable to continue pitching for a career. To me, he's just not worth it. Especially when we have to fill rotation gaps with the likes of Garrett Olson, who shouldn't even be pitching for Tacoma with how bad he does. (Hello, High Desert.) Bedard's a nice guy but he's a bust as far as our value in the big trade with Baltimore went. Smart business is to trade him or drop him and bring in people that actually perform on a long-term basis.
  14. mgb
    19. Posted by mgb Sun Jul 26 5:08pm EDT

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    "The farm was burned by the five-for-one deal orchestrated by since-fired GM Bill Bavasi in February 2008"..............................Don't you just love the media talking point (yes there are politics in sports too)? If the farm system was burned by a five for one deal there wasnt that much to begin with--actually it would be three for one since two guys were already on the major league roster when the trade was made, so essentially this burned us just about as much as STL got burned trading for Holliday, if you actually believe it to be true. And didn't the same media jump all over Gillick for NOT trading prospects for mediocre vets? Brilliant Bavasi was just dumb about it, picking chumps like Betancourt over Asdrubal Cabrera for instance.
  15. mgb
    18. Posted by mgb Sun Jul 26 5:00pm EDT

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    Whoa, easy there. Look pitchers get hurt more than anybody, that's not the issue. The issue is he appears to be about as much of a gamer as Gil Meche. He's hellbent on striking out the world (much like Felix was) when any good lineup will inflate your pitch count and have you out of the game by the 5th inning. He doesn't seem to wanna do much to change it. THAT's the issue. And as far as Bedard being better than any of the crap you mentioned (including Morrow), that's not an endorsement, that's like saying we're better than the Nationals.
  16. Rob
    17. Posted by Rob Sun Jul 26 4:55pm EDT

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    Bedard doesn't throw that hard. He has good movement and a very good curveball.
  17. david drake1
    16. Posted by david drake1 Sun Jul 26 4:46pm EDT

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    FOr all of you IDIOTS saying to toughen up have you ever pitched? Let alone thrown with the power he does? I have and did and shoulder inflammation ended my pitching days. We couldnt keep it under control and it ripped my Rotator cuff. SO before you talk about him being tougher get a clue.

    For the guy saying we need to get rid of his contract to build for the future? What Contract? He signed a 1 year deal hes a free agent next year. There is no contract to dump and no team PERIOD would trade for a hurt pitcher with a expiring contact.

    You guys dont get it where hes suffering the pain is a area that leads most pitchers to blow out there Rotator cuff this is not something to play with. IF he nurses the shoulder then hes putting added strain on the elbow and what does that cause? Tommy John surgery. So he and the org are doing exactly what they need to do taking there time with him and trying to figure out what is causing the issues. A cyst can cause water build up after removal. Water build up cause inflammation How to get rid of the water and keep it gone is the hard part and usualy commands a second surgery.

    SO back off about the M's there doing great instead of bytching get out there and fill the seats and enjoy this MUCH better team. Enjoy that next year with this coming years FA market can net us even a better team.

    Bottom line id take Bedard any day over Jeff Weaver, Carlos Silva, Batista, and at this point even Morrow.
  18. mgb
    15. Posted by mgb Sun Jul 26 4:18pm EDT

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    Nalu we NEVER had great pitchers, remember all those guys Gillick said he wouldn't trade like Blackley, Livingston, Nageotte, Thornton and so on that came up to the bigs and blew goats? Not trading them cost us the playoffs in both 02 and 03. So I can't fault Brilliant Bavasi totally for making a trade considering that everybody except Jones in this deal is probably over-hyped. It's the Mulder trade redux--except Bedard has no heart, injured or not.
  19. mgb
    14. Posted by mgb Sun Jul 26 4:13pm EDT

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    Hey Derik F how's last place workin out for ya? Look for Jones to be dealt for a couple of AA pitchers after the Orioles lose 90 games....AGAIN
  20. <i>nalu725</i>
    13. Posted by nalu725 Sun Jul 26 4:01pm EDT

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    AAAGGGHHH Bavasi ruined Mariners baseball. We used to have a great minor league system some great pitchers and now we have JACK S#$T
  21. Sawtoothwilly
    12. Posted by Sawtoothwilly Sun Jul 26 3:46pm EDT

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    everybody around the Seattle knew it was not so much a bad trade, but they gave up too much to get him. That is why the previous GM is now gone. Look for Seattle to be at least 2 years away from contending again
  22. Lind
    11. Posted by Lind Sun Jul 26 3:43pm EDT

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    Bedard is not a bad pitcher... when healthy
  23. Hugh J. Blount
    10. Posted by Hugh J. Blount Sun Jul 26 3:15pm EDT

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    What is next? Go on the DL for split ends, broken nail, an itch? Toughen up cupcake!
  24. ____joe_____
    9. Posted by ____joe_____ Sun Jul 26 3:09pm EDT

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    should of traded him a while ago...with the jays asking price of halladay teams will be looking for more of a bargin it least get a rid of his contract and get some younger players in return...lets get real m's fans we are not gonna catch the angles time to build for the future.
  25. Rob
    8. Posted by Rob Sun Jul 26 3:04pm EDT

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    What a blubbering vagina. Bedard to toughen the hell up.
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