The Cardinals officially lost their star pitcher as he underwent successful surgery to replace the ligament in his throwing elbow.

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Adam Wainwright, a 20 game winner in 2010,  underwent successful Tommy John surgery on his throwing elbow today.

He has battled with elbow soreness over the last 3 years and last week the club decided to shut the ace down for 12-15 months to allow the new ligament to heal.

Wainwright will miss the entire 2011 season and forfeit a clause in his current contract that would have extended it two  years worth over $10 million annually.

The loss of Wainwright is a major blow to the organization and the pitching rotation. Once projected to be elite in the National League–many media pundits are now concerned about the lack of pitching depth within the organization.

Without ‘Waino, the projected pitching staff includes Chris Carpenter, Jaime Garcia, Jake Westbrook, Kyle Lohse, and a flurry of candidates for the fifth spot. LHP Lance Lynn will compete with Adam Ottovino and perhaps Shelby Miller for the final spot in the rotation.