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Minnesota Twins reliever Joe Nathan has been diagnosed with a torn ligament in his right elbow, leaving the team without a proven closer less than a month from Opening Day.

Mike & Mike in the Morning

ESPN the Magazine senior baseball writer Buster Olney joins Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic with more information on the breaking news that Twins closer Joe Nathan has a torn ligament in his elbow.

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Nathan has a torn ulnar collateral ligament and will decide whether to have surgery within two weeks, the team said. the Minneapolis Star Tribune first reported the injury.

The team announced Nathan has a “significant tear,” but will not immediately opt for surgery. he will rest and rehab the elbow over the next one to two weeks, then determine whether he can pitch with the injury.

Nathan may get a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews, the surgeon who operated on his elbow last October to remove bone chips.

Surgery would likely cost Nathan all of the 2010 season — a potentially devastating turn of events for a team expected to contend in the AL Central Division. Injuries to the ulnar collateral ligament have led to season-ending Tommy John surgery for other pitchers.

Nathan faced three Boston Red Sox batters on Saturday before he was removed from the game with soreness and stiffness in his elbow.

The right-hander, who had a career-high 47 saves last season with a 2.10 ERA, met Tuesday morning with manager Ron Gardenhire and Twins general manager Bill Smith, according to the Star Tribune.

If Nathan is lost for the season, it would cost the Twins one of the game’s best closers. he has six consecutive seasons of at least 36 saves and a 2.75 career ERA.

There are not many experienced free agent closers available, meaning the Twins might have to turn to their farm system or make a trade if they chose not to promote another reliever from within the bullpen.

Jon Rauch, a 6-foot-11 right-hander, has the most experience closing games of anyone in the Twins’ bullpen, with 26 career saves over five major league seasons. he split 2009 between the Twins and Arizona Diamondbacks, finishing with a 7-3 record, a 3.60 ERA and 17 holds in 75 appearances.

Matt Guerrier, another right-handed reliever, went 5-1 last season with 33 holds and a 2.36 ERA in 79 appearances.

ESPN the Magazine senior writer Buster Olney and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Nathan has torn elbow ligament

The new York Mets have acquired outfielder Gary Matthews Jr. from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in exchange for right-handed relief pitcher Brian Stokes.

- in addition to Matthews, the Mets get $21 million from the Angels in the deal. This compensates for most of the $23 million remaining on Matthews’ contract, which expires after the 2011 season.

- A 35-year-old veteran, Matthews has been in the MLB since 1999, and has played for seven different teams. Matthews is a career .258 hitter, and has never been very productive offensively. His best season offensively was 2006, when he made his only All-Star appearance so far. in ‘06, Matthews batted .313 with 79 RBI and 19 home runs, all career highs. This was his final year with the Texas Rangers, and a contract year that led to his current deal, which was 5 years for $50 million. Excluding 2006, Matthews has never batted more than .275 in a season. Matthews can play all three outfield positions, though he has made 662 of his 988 career starts in center.

- Matthews has been with the Mets before in his career; he was sent from Pittsburgh to new York following the 2001 season, and was traded to Baltimore at the beginning of the 2002 season.

- Brian Stokes is 30 years old heading into his fifth MLB season having played his first two seasons with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and most recent two with the Mets. with the Devil Rays, Stokes made four starts in the 2006 season, and finished 1-0 with a 4.88 ERA. he was converted to a relief pitcher in 2007, playing 59 games that year with a 7.07 ERA. While Stokes’ career ERA and WHIP with the Devil Rays were 6.46 and 1.795 respectively, they were 3.82 and 1.476 in his last two seasons.

- Angels designated hitter and 2009 World Series MVP Hideki Matsui has stated that he is willing to play outfield at times this year, while injuries made it unable for him to do so in his last few years with the Yankees.

Matthews Headed to Queens in Trade | SportsFullCircle