After a disastrous 2011 campaign for John Lackey, the Red Sox have announced today that the troubled pitcher will have Tommy John Surgery to repair his elbow and is expected to miss the entire 2012 season.
Lackey is coming off a terrible season in the second year of his monster deal he signed just two seasons ago. He still has three years left on his 5 year $82.5 million deal that lured him away from Anaheim. At an average of just over 20 million dollars a year, his 12-12 record with a 6.41 ERA is not what newly hired Cub Theo Epstein and the rest of the Red Sox nation had in mind when landing this one time solid pitching ace.
John Lackey was one of the alleged culprits that partook in drinking beer in the clubhouse during games in September during their epic 9.5 game collapse that kept the preseason World Series favorites out of the playoffs. He even faced questions all season long about his relationship with his cancer-stricken wife.
I honestly think the year off for Lackey is the best thing that could have happened to him. Maybe the surgery will fix his arm and his confidence, while he has a year break to dodge the scandals and relationship problems he is facing.