Left-hander Brooks Raley underwent Tommy John surgery last month and won’t be able to return to the mound until around his 37th birthday, but he’s not planning on hanging up his spikes. “I know it’s going to be a long recovery, as everyone has told me. Slow and steady, slow and steady,” he told Tim Healey of Newsday. “But I think at some point, you turn the page and keep moving. I think I have a place in the sport.”
It would have been fair to wonder if Raley was thinking about calling it quits, given his age and this long layoff. But on the other hand, he’s no stranger to the winding road to success. He debuted with the Cubs back in 2012 but struggled in his first exposure to major league hitters, posting a 7.04 earned run average in 38 1/3 innings during the 2012 and 2013 seasons. He spent 2014 stuck in the minors, going to the Twins and Angels on waivers.
He then went to Korea and joined the KBO’s Lotte Giants, reinvigorating his career over there. He worked as a starter for that club for five years, tossing 910 2/3 innings with a 4.13 ERA. He returned to North America in 2020 but had to settle for a minor league deal with the Reds. He made that club’s roster but was designated for assignment after just four innings.
A waiver claim by the Astros was an opportunity to revive his career yet again. He finished the shortened season with that club and then made 58 relief appearances for them in 2021 after the Astros picked up a $2MM club option. His 4.78 ERA that year wasn’t especially impressive but an unlucky strand rate of 59.7% played a part in that. His 31.7% strikeout rate was quite strong and his 7.8% walk rate slightly better than average.
The Rays overlooked the ERA and signed Raley to a two-year, $10MM deal and were able to get strong results from the left-hander. He had a 2.68 ERA for Tampa in 2022, earning six saves and 22 holds. He was traded to the Mets prior to 2023 and had another good year, posting an ERA of 2.80 while earning another three saves and 25 more holds.
The Mets picked up a $6.5MM option for this year instead of going for the $1.25MM buyout. They were hoping Raley could continue his strong stretch of play but he was only able to toss seven innings before hitting the injured list and eventually requiring surgery.
It’s been quite a journey for Raley but he now has another obstacle to overcome. Interestingly, he tells Healey that he wasn’t recommended surgery right away but decided to just get it over with and begin the rehab process. “There was no solution that didn’t make this year shot. This is just a longer-term plan and the best one for me.”
Pitchers can sometimes return from an injured UCL without surgery. Masahiro Tanaka was diagnosed with a partially torn UCL in 2014 but kept pitching well for years without going under the knife. Seth Lugo was found to have a slight year in his UCL in 2017 but avoided the surgeon’s table. Last year, Mason Miller had a UCL sprain and spent a few months on the IL but is currently one of the best relievers in the league.
Given the long recovery time, players usually prefer to exhaust non-surgical options as long as possible, but this can sometimes just delay the inevitable. In the most recent example, Kyle Bradish of the Orioles was diagnosed with a UCL sprain in mid-February. He got a platelet-rich plasma injection and returned to the mound a few weeks later. He was able to rejoin the O’s and made eight good starts before landing back on the IL. He underwent Tommy John surgery earlier this week.
Raley seemingly didn’t want to follow that Bradish path. He turns 36 year old next week and will be 37 by next summer. If he stuck to the non-surgical options but eventually underwent the procedure later this year, perhaps he would not have been able to return at all in 2025, delaying his return until his age-38 season. By getting the operation out of the way last month, he at least has a chance to participate in the second half of the 2025 season.
He will spend the next few months rehabbing and will be a free agent at season’s end. Pitchers sometimes sign two-year deals while recovering from Tommy John surgery, with the signing club aware they may not get much return on their investment in the first season but hoping for a nice bounceback in the second. Raley’s age may dissuade teams from considering such a deal but it seems he’s committed to coming back one way or another, as he tells Healey he wants to pitch until he’s at least 40. Since coming back from the KBO in 2020, he has thrown 184 1/3 innings with a 3.42 ERA, 29% strikeout rate and 8.5% walk rate.
go for it Brooks, 37 with a new UCL can still be successful. MLB will totally be without pitchers with healthy elbows by the time you can make it back. supply and demand. get well soon.
Smart decision.
There have been a good amount of 40 year old pitchers, some who got big money for doing nothing.
There’s a few 30-year-old players getting paid to nothing too lol
I really like Raley. Solid reliever it sucks he went down this year he was a staple in our BP
Who else thinks that the Mets should let Mr. Met go on vacation and let grimace replace him as long as the Mets are good