MILWAUKEE (AP) —urgery and miss the season Austin Hedges Jersey , a major setback for the NL Central champions.Knebel revealed his decision Friday before Milwaukee played St. Louis.The 27-year-old right-hander had been pitching with a damaged ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow since 2014, when he was pitching for the Texas Rangers. He has been sidelined since March 17, when he experienced discomfort in his elbow while pitching in a spring training game.Knebel was 4-3 with 16 saves and a 3.58 ERA in 57 games last season. He was outstanding in the playoffs, pitching nine games with a 0.90 ERA in 10 innings as the Brewers relied on a dominant bullpen to come within one win of the World Series.Knebel had 39 saves and was a 2017 NL All-Star.“It happened five years ago and now it’s just gotten a little worse,” Knebel said. “I don’t want it to really hurt me in the long run. Right now, I’m 27. I think it’s better to do it now than wait until later.”The decision was left up to Knebel and he said it was a tough one, but he opted for the surgery rather than trying to rehab the injury and possibly being out a longer time or not knowing if the pain would return.Orthopedist Neal ElAttrache will perform the surgery on Wednesday.“I’ve had the information now for a week and I couldn’t just decide right away,” Knebel said. “I hated that it was my decision. I really wish the doctor would have told me, ‘Here’s what we’re doing.’“As much as I want to pitch, it’s going to be tough to just watch,” he said.The Brewers beat St. Louis 5-4 Thursday in a season opener.Knebel said he would not be with the team this season but instead begin the healing process at the Brewers’ training complex in Maryvale, Arizona.“I’ve been reading a lot about everything and the success rate of Tommy John is very good,” Knebel said.Knebel said he felt comfortable using ElAttrache, who did surgery on Brewers right-hander Jimmy Nelson last season.“He did a great job with Jimmy’s shoulder,” Knebel said.Brewers manager Craig Counsell said he already knew Knebel would be out for an extended period Carlos Asuaje Jersey , so the news did not change the team’s bullpen plans.“We fully support him making that decision,” Counsell said. “Either way it was going to be a significant injury.”Lefty Josh Hader remains a late-inning force for the Brewers, and he earned a two-inning save against the Cardinals in the opener.Counsell said all eight of his relievers could close a game and he would not designate one or two pitchers for the role.Right-handed reliever Jeremy Jeffress is out with a right shoulder injury but is expected to return next month.Counsell said Jeffress would pitch a spring training game on Saturday and would be on schedule to pitch in Arizona every three days.“That takes him to when the Triple-A season starts,” said Counsell, who indicated Jeffress would pitch for San Antonio next Friday.Nelson, one of the Brewers’ top starting pitchers, is making progress in Arizona and should throw a bullpen session early next week, Counsell said. He is expected to pitch once or twice more in Arizona before joining Triple-A San Antonio.“He does have to pile up some innings, just health and learning about himself,” Counsell said.Nelson was injured while diving into first base in a game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in 2017, and he missed all of the 2018 season. The Dodgers have plenty of starting pitchers on the roster as they go through the offseason. They could trade from that strength this winter and Alex Wood seems like a likely candidate."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections 2019 Spring TrainingProspectsCommentaryNews and NotesCommentaryLet’s find a new home for Alex WoodNew,363commentsFormer All-Star seems likely to be traded this winterand because of that, he’s now just an ordinary middle-of-the-rotation starter. That carries a somewhat negative connotation, but mid-rotation starters are pretty valuable — always have been, likely always will be.So http://www.padresfanproshop.com/authentic-brad-hand-jersey , let’s see if we can find Wood a new home.———What teams need starting pitching? If you said “all of them,” you’re right. But let’s look at the teams that really need starting pitching.Here were the bottom 10 starting pitching staffs, according to FanGraphs’ WAR:White Sox, 3.1Orioles, 3.4Padres, 4.0Rangers, 4.2Reds, 4.5Marlins, 5.4Tigers, 6.7Giants, 7.2Blue Jays, 7.3The Rangers and Tigers have already added some starting pitching, but they don’t really have any thoughts of contending in 2019. Same goes for the Giants, Orioles and Marlins. The Padres are interesting, but with Wood being under control for only one more season Matt Szczur Jersey , they’d likely pass. That leaves the White Sox, Reds and Blue Jays. The Jays are probably out, but the White Sox and (especially) the Reds seem primed to try to actually win this season, unlike previous years. Let’s keep them in mind.A team that really stands out in terms of needing a starter are the A’s. They’re coming off a 97-win season, but the non-tendered August acquisition Mike Fiers and have a lot of guys coming back from injury (Jharel Cotton, A.J. Puk, Andrew Triggs). They also have a lot of guys who will miss a significant portion — if not all — of the 2019 season (Kendall Graveman, Daniel Gossett, Sean Manaea). They’re definitely in the market for a starter.I kinda thought a Wood-for-Francisco Cervelli made some sense on the surface. The Dodgers need a catcher and the Pirates could always use another solid starter to add to an already solid rotation, led by Jameson Taillon, Chris Archer and Trevor Williams.If the Reds are really serious about improving their pitching, Wood could do well there. He’s good at keeping the ball on the ground (48.9 GB% last season), which is important in one of the most hitter-friendly parks in baseball. After Luis Castillo, the rest of the Reds’ projected rotation is lacking — Anthony DeSclafani, Cody Reed and maybe the corpse of Homer Bailey.The same goes for the White Sox. If they’re interested in contending http://www.padresfanproshop.com/authentic-brad-hand-jersey , adding Wood make sense. Their rotation is young, headed by Reynaldo Lopez. Lucas Giolito exists, but he’s coming off an MLB-worst 5.56 FIP in 2018. Carlos Rodon is coming back from a bum shoulder and should be better next season. The inclusion of Wood could help stabilize a rotation in need of a solid veteran.If you’re looking at other contending teams, the Brewers have been looking for a starter since the trade deadline last season. It’d be difficult to see the Dodgers trading with the team that took them to seven games for the NL pennant, but it wouldn’t be like trading with the Giants or something.Cleveland is also on the table ... kinda. They’re looking to trade one or both of Corey Kluber and Trevor Bauer. If they do trade one of them (to the Dodgers, maybe?), maybe Wood could head there to fill a rotation void. It’s weird, I know.———These are just some of the possibilities that make sense. Having said all this, he’s absolutely getting traded to a team not mentioned above or — even better — will somehow stay with the Dodgers.Wood, 28 next month, has been good as a Dodger, but it probably makes sense for both he and the Dodgers if he moves to a team where he could have an unquestioned role. Factor in that he’s a year from free agency and the likelihood of the Dodgers signing him long-term isn’t high and trading him seems like the best option.