Twitter Poll: Yankees Made Right Decision Not Getting TJS for Tanaka

Yesterday here on the blog I was very emphatic when I said that the New York Yankees made the right decision to forego Tommy John surgery with Masahiro Tanaka and take the advice of five different doctors that suggested a rest and rehab program. This has been going on for more than a calendar year now and the reviews on the decision have been mixed to say the least. There are the pro-surgery crowds and then there is the crowd that trusts the doctor’s decision, which camp are you in? Sounds like the perfect time for a Twitter Poll.

@greedystripes Feels like he will continue to struggle and be mediocre until elbow gets fixed

— Sol Weinreich (@SolfromBrooklyn) August 4, 2015

@GreedyStripes Yes, surgery should always be the last resource. And it has worked so far.

— Alvaro Molina (@a_molinam) August 4, 2015

@GreedyStripes it's looking like a good idea now that we're competing for a playoff spot in August

— sean (@SeanGordon102) August 4, 2015

@GreedyStripes several doctors said it was the way to go. Twitter docs have less credentials.

— Nick Abbate (@PinstripedBX2) August 4, 2015

@GreedyStripes No surgery is a sure thing, when doctors say don't have the surgery listen to them.

— Eliot (@EliotRants) August 4, 2015

@GreedyStripes no I would have liked him to get it over with and on the road to recovery. I hope he is healthy for the final run of the year

— Heart2 (@YDPSHR) August 4, 2015

While many fans blame every ball he throws, home run he allows or loss he accumulates on the fact that Tanaka’s elbow is not healthy and he should have had the surgery rather than considering the distinct possibility that maybe Tanaka was not as advertised I still remain adamant that the non-surgery was the best option for Tanaka. I am very much against undergoing a career altering or potentially career ending surgery if at all possible. If some guy working a drive thru wedding window in Las Vegas said to rest and rehab Tanaka’s elbow then I’d be skeptical but it was five doctors including the Yankees team doctor and the man that has seen more ulnar collateral ligaments than Ron Jeremy has seen female anatomies Dr. James Andrews.

This is not a debate that is going to be won or loss. If Tanaka pitches the rest of his career without issue but doesn’t win 20 games every single season and a Cy Young there will be some out there that say he should have had the surgery. If he blows out his elbow tomorrow there will be the “I told you so” type fans running amok while the rest call for Brian Cashman’s head. There will be no winner, only losers. To be involved in our next Twitter Poll head over to the app and give @GreedyStripes a follow. Once you’re following be on the lookout for our next Twitter Poll tweet, we will not use your responses without informing you first.