Patton's Shoulder

Troy Patton's shoulder is apparently in worse shape than was originally thought - it may require surgery, causing Patton to miss the entire 2008 season. I'm actually for that idea. The O's have more than enough guys to battle for the fifth starter job and I think that it would be better for Patton to get everything squared away and come back strong for next year, as opposed to playing through the pain and possibly picking up some bad habits mechanics-wise which could lead to further arm injuries in the future. He was never the hardest thrower around so there isn't much concern of a drop in velocity due to the shoulder, and I don't change his major league projections much going forward - he's a capable number 4 starter who has a good chance to develop into a # 3, with the ability to have a couple lucky seasons where he puts it all together and pitches like a # 2. MacPhail shouldn't shoulder (no pun intended) any blame for getting a pitcher who get hurt - it was known about at the time and considering the injury rate for pitchers as a group, someone who was known to be healthy at the time might be hurt at this point too anyway.