Strasburg's Record Deal Makes Him the Nat Who Says 'Neat'
Well, now we know, and few would disagree.
Washington Nationals owner Mark Lerner went on record before this off-season's free agency scramble that his club couldn't afford to sign both Stephen Strasburg and Anthony Rendon.
It was abundantly clear that each would get a deal for an amount in excess of $200million, so he'd have to make a choice.
Being real, that was never even a choice.
- Strasburg was their top overall pick in the 2009 draft, so he was their dude,
- They shut him down for his own good before the 2012 playoffs, confirming their long-term priority for his being a career National, and
- Dude was everything the Nats needed and more when they won this season's World Series.
So of course Washington was gonna do what it takes to lock up Strasburg for ever and ever:
Besides his World Series heroics, dude put together a regular season that led the National League with 209 innings on the way to an 18-win campaign with a 3.32 earnie.
He had four years and $100million remaining on his contract when he opted out of it, so that move parlayed into an extra $145million over three years.
This signing's timing should open up the decision-making floodgates, too.
Last year, the free agent market was never really set because it took so damn long for Bryce Harper and Manny Machado to agree to terms.
Since Strasburg, Rendon, and Gerrit Cole are all represented by Scott Boras, perhaps this means the strategy's changing.
If so, MLB could be in for a newsworthy week.