"It's going to be tough," the 26-year-old Marcum said of the long layoff ahead of him. "It's tough just to sit there, you want to be part of the team so bad, it's going to be tough next year when spring training rolls around and I'm not going to be one of the guys."
Marcum, 9-7 with a 3.39 ERA in 25 starts, left Tuesday's game against Baltimore after two-plus innings with soreness and numbness from his elbow to his pinky. An MRI on Thursday revealed the injury.
"It's terrible, absolutely awful," Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston said. "I feel so bad for him. We're going to miss him. He probably won't be in spring training until 2010, so that's a big blow to us, that's really tough."
No date has been set for the surgery, which will be performed by Dr. James Andrews.
Marcum said he didn't think the injury was related to a sore elbow that sidelined him for 27 games in June and July.
"The feeling that I had right now is completely different from the one I had earlier this season," Marcum said. "I think it's just wear and tear from pitching and throwing as much as I do."
Marcum's injury means Toronto may have to fill several holes in its rotation this winter.
The Blue Jays, who lead the major leagues with a 3.54 ERA, lost right-hander Dustin McGowan to shoulder surgery in July and don't expect him back at full strength until May. Right-hander A.J. Burnett, who has won a career-high 18 games, can opt out of the final two years of his contract at the end of the season.
With Marcum's status unknown Thursday, Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi said he would "think about adding some years" to Burnett's contract to try and keep him in Toronto, but said he wasn't willing to get into a "bidding war" with other teams if Burnett decides to opt out.
Otherwise, Ricciardi repeated Friday that he's prepared to head into 2009 with Casey Janssen, who missed all of 2008 because of shoulder surgery, and minor leaguers Ricky Romero and Brett Cecil as candidates to round out the rotation behind holdovers Roy Halladay, Jesse Litsch and David Purcey.
"I don't feel like we have to do anything," Ricciardi said. "I feel like we've got young pitchers here who we're pretty much convinced can come up and pitch. We'll go with those guys.
"We've got confidence in our young guys," Ricciardi added. "Sometimes you've got to run them out there. The great thing is we got the anchor -- Doc (Halladay). That's a big plus, having a guy like that at the top of the rotation."
A third-round pick in 2003, Marcum is in his fourth season with the Blue Jays. He struggled after returning July 22 from his elbow injury, going 3-2 with a 6.19 ERA in seven starts before being optioned to Triple-A Syracuse on Aug. 22 to work on his location. He was recalled Sept. 2 and went 1-0 with a 1.26 ERA in two starts before the injury.
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