According to ESPN's Buster Olney, free agent David Aardsma will "wait until he's further along in (his) arm rehab" to begin seeking contract offers. Aardsma underwent Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery in July and just recently began a throwing program. Any team that signs him will have to practice patience, because the 30-year-old right-hander won't be ready to contribute until the middle of the 2012 campaign. He saved 69 games for the Mariners between 2009-2010.

David Aardsma (elbow) threw Wednesday for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery in July. "I just got done throwing for the first time. 5 minutes at 45 feet," Aardsma wrote on his Twitter account Wednesday morning. "It feels great to be throwing again, you start realizing what all this hard work is for." Aardsma elected free agency at the end of October after clearing waivers. It's unlikely he'll be ready to return until the second half of the season, but he could make for an interesting signing. The 30-year-old saved 69 games for the M's during the 2009-10 seasons.

David Aardsma has elected free agency. Aardsma was activated from the 60-day disabled list and passed through waivers unclaimed. The 29-year-old was going to be non-tendered after undergoing Tommy John surgery in July, but today's transactions allows him to enter free agency sooner. Seattle bypasses his final year of arbitration. Aardsma saved 69 games for the M's during the 2009-10 seasons. We probably won't see him again in the big leagues until late-2012, but someone will undoubtedly take a chance on him with an incentive-laden deal.

Larry Stone of the Seattle Times considers David Aardsma (elbow) "a strong candidate to not be tendered a contract" this winter. It's not a surprise, as Aardsma will likely miss at least the first half of 2012 following Tommy John surgery and, in his final year of arbitration, would receive a raise from his 2011 salary of $4.5 million. It's possible he could wind up re-signing at a lesser rate. The 29-year-old saved 69 games for the M's during the 2009-10 seasons.

David Aardsma underwent successful Tommy John surgery Friday. He will begin his rehab on Monday in Arizona. Aardsma, of course, is done for the 2011 season and won't be ready to return to the Mariners until late in the 2012 season, at the earliest.

David Aardsma will undergo Tommy John surgery next Thursday. This completes a nightmare season for Aardsma, who began the year on the disabled list following hip surgery. He was shut down in May with what was termed "forearm stiffness" and was later diagnosed with a Grade 2 strain of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. He recently started throwing from the mound, but apparently suffered another setback. We won't see him again in the big leagues until late-2012 or perhaps 2013.