Kuzul

We all know Stephen Strasburg as the phenom call-up by the Nationals back in June. But there’s a new problem he faces.

Stephen Strasburg has been diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow. This is not exactly what the Nationals had planned for.

When the Nationals picked Bryce Harper, they expected him to be able to play with Stephen Strasburg in the near future, but that date may be pushed back. Strasburg has a torn ligament in his throwing elbow and is required to get Tommy John surgery in order to get him back to 100%. But he will not be 100% for a while. Strasburg will miss the rest of this season and it is very unlikely that he returns in 2011.

What This Means

Strasburg has been the shining star of this MLB season, and all fans wanted was watch him. His debut was a sellout, striking out 14 versus the Pirates. The Nationals will want to cross their fingers and pray that Strasburg returns to his elite status.

The Nationals were looking good going into next year, having just got back Jordan Zimmermann, their prized prospect. Their idea was to have Strasburg and Zimmermann at the top of the rotation, and the bats of Ryan Zimmerman and Adam Dunn in the heart of the order. But Strasburg’s surgery will put a setback on the Nationals state of remodeling.

Tommy John History

For the record, not all Tommy John surgeries have turned out badly. Actually, many  have come back even better than before. Take for instance Josh Johnson. Johnson had the surgery and look where he is now, at the top of his game with All-Star status. 

Six All-Star pitchers this year were former Tommy John goers. That includes last year’s Rookie of the Year, Andrew Bailey.

The Nationals are on the road to success, but let’s just hope that the Nationals get a healthy Strasburg in return for Tommy John surgery.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Manny Ramirez and his 20-year-old bat have been placed on waivers…now what?

According to sources close to the Dodgers, the veteran slugger has been placed on waivers for the Los Angeles Dodgers to work out a trade (if he is claimed, that is). 

If you are unfamiliar with waivers, let’s see how it works:

Any player can be put on waivers by his team, and the player does not need to be informed.

Other teams have the chance to make a claim on the player during a 47 hour window.

If the player is claimed, the team that placed him on waivers has the option of pulling him back.  If the team pulls him back they can’t trade him for 30 days.

If his team decides not to pull him back:

Option 1:  His team can work out a trade with the team that claimed him.  Any player involved in the trade who is on a 40 man roster must go through waivers first.

Option 2:  His team can just dump him and his salary on the team that claimed him, getting no player in return.

Option 3:  No one claims him, and his team is free to trade him to any team.

If more than one team places a claim on a player, the winning claim is awarded based on worst record or the league the claiming team is in.

Manny is available to all MLB teams and is to be claimed by Friday, and if the Dodgers do not want to send him away, they can pull him back. If and when Manny is claimed, the Dodgers have until Tuesday to work out a trade with the club that claimed him. If a club does claim Manny, they would have to pay a fourth of the $20 million he signed for, plus some $3 million deferred.

This means that the Pirates would get first grabs at Manny, and so on until you ended at the Padres, then the claim would be passed on to the American League where several teams like the White Sox and Rangers have expressed interest. It all comes down to Manny’s option to express his no-trade clause. He has the option to block out a claim and request to stay in Dodger blue.

Since Manny was suspended, his power numbers have been down, but his contact numbers including average have stayed normal. Manny is the kind of player you wold love to have, especially an AL contender looking for an addition to the DH spot. Manny does however become a free agent after this season, so he is trying to impress and breakout to get other teams knocking on his door and pick up his bat.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

This year, the San Diego Padres have taken the West by storm and it’s no secret that they are at the top of their game.

The Padres have constructed a team that include good, young arms, contact hitters, and a well managed front-office.

Bud Black has been nothing more than stellar when it comes to game day and has showed off the potential of his squad. Combine that with power hitting in Adrian Gonzalez, and young pitching in Mat Latos, and your team will go a long ways.

Begin Slideshow