Bad news out of Diamondbacks camp.  As if 13 games below .500 and 19 games out of first wasn’t bad enough, pitcher and former Cy Young Winner Brandon Webb had shoulder surgery and will be out for the remainder of the year.  Webb’s surgery today was a success as he underwent debridement, which is the surgical removal of lacerated, devitalized or contaminated tissue; basically he had surgery on his shoulder.  Any time a pitcher has shoulder surgery it spells trouble.  Hopefully Webb will be able to recover fully and be back to his normal self by next year.  In a statement from his agent Webb said, “I should be able to start throwing in October and have a full recovery before Spring Training.”  At least Brandon Webb is optomistic about his surgery.

The Diamonbacks now have a tough decision to make this offseason.  His contract expires after this wasteful 2009 season but has an option for 2010 at $8.5 million or a $2 million buyout.  I said a “tough” decision but really this will be an easy decision for the Diamondbacks.  Without Webb there is no 1-2 punch of Webb and Haren.  An 80% Webb is better than starts from fill-in starters Petit and Buckner who have an ERA of 6.75 and 8.63 respectively.  Even with Webb this offense is only backed by two guys, Upton and Reynolds so I don’t expect them to compete for the division next year either and Webb and Haren will probably both be 2010 deadline deals!