ESPN's Gordon Edes is reporting that Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka has decided to have Tommy John surgery and will inform the team of his decision today. Dice-K will likely miss an entire year or more due to the elbow surgery, which transfers a ligament from the forearm to build a new ulnar collateral ligament in the elbow. While the Red Sox hoped that rest would do the trick, UCL strains quite often result in Tommy John.Of course, this seriously complicates the Red Sox pitching rotation going forward. Tim Wakefield will replace Dice-K and Lackey will return Sunday. However, the 4-5 spots are now a total crap shoot. Look for Boston to make a deal for a real starter—beyond the Kevin Milwood circus.
In the longer term, this could spell the end of Dice-K's Boston career—even though he is signed through 2012. The bottom line is his performance never came close to the hype that produced a $103 million price-tag.