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Stephen Strasburg was the team’s MVP in 2019 when the Nationals won their first World Series since the 1924 Senators. Strasburg won Game 2 (6 innings, 2 runs, 7 strikeouts, 1 walk) and won or homered in Game 6 (8 1/3 innings, 2 runs, 7 strikeouts, 5 hits, 2 walks). won. road.
The Nationals want to honor Strasburg, one of the organization’s defining stars. That much is clear. But are they willing to pay him the remainder of his contract as originally agreed? That becomes ambiguous.
Strasburg last pitched in a game in June 2022, suffering severe nerve damage that thwarted multiple attempts to return to the mound. General manager Mike Rizzo said last year that Strasburg would eventually join the team’s circle of honor as one of its great stars. The team approached Strasburg last year about retiring, and planning for the press conference was well advanced, with the team setting a tentative September date. Then everything fell apart when the owners wanted Strasburg, who was on a fully guaranteed $245 million contract, to change the terms of his contract to benefit them.
Currently, Strasburg (technically still on the Nationals’ 40-man roster) is not participating in spring training, and the Nationals have made it clear he is expected to participate.
“Yes, he is invited along with the other players on our 40-man roster,” general manager Mike Rizzo told reporters Wednesday. “He has until February 24th to be here and yeah, I expect him to be here.”
Why are the Nationals prolonging this with an injured raw star? Why is Strasburg, who by all accounts would rather be anywhere than spring training, practicing? money.
Strasburg, who signed a seven-year, $245 million contract through 2020, will be paid $35 million annually over the next three seasons. The owners want to defer that funding, but the amount and duration are unclear, according to people briefed on the negotiations.
Strasburg already has to pay $80 million in deferred payments from 2027 to 2029. (He will also receive $3.9 million in interest in 2029, according to Spotrac.) Restructuring the contract would give Strasburg and Patrick more than half of his 2024 salary, about $126 million. That would free up a lot of money for the Nationals, who are allocating it to Corbin. (Corbin, who is in the final year of a six-year, $140 million contract, will earn $35 million in 2024, but $10 million of that will be deferred, interest-free, from November 2024 to January 2026. ).
It’s unclear whether Strasburg’s proposed extensions would include interest or for how long, but a person briefed on the negotiations called them “significant.” said.
No matter what the offer is, it’s Strasburg’s money and he has the right to say no to any addendum to the contract. A few months after he hoisted the MVP trophy, the two sides agreed to a deal. Strasburg could go on injured reserve and play the remainder of his contract if he wishes, which would cost the Nationals a 40-man roster spot for next offseason. Teams and players often reach a settlement in these situations, because while a major league contract is guaranteed, remaining pay is forfeited when a player voluntarily retires.
So if Strasburg has all the power here, there’s nothing the Nationals can do, right? Not necessarily. Technically speaking, clubs can impose discipline if a player does not arrive by the mandatory spring reporting date.
Still, it would be hard to imagine the Nationals punishing Strasburg if he’s not in West Palm Beach. Not only is it bad publicity, but that mandatory date is actually for clubs to argue that players arriving after that time may not have enough time to prepare for the season. Players are not paid in spring training, and contracts typically begin around April 1st. In Strasburg’s case, he’s not ready to play, and both sides have publicly acknowledged that.
Rather, Strasburg will be a coach and mentor to young players, something the Nationals have said they want Strasburg to do. Even though he was visibly injured (a 2021 surgery removed his ribs and two muscles in his neck), Strasburg was physically deteriorating to the point where he couldn’t play catch or simulate a windup. Even if.
Everything is messy. Do the Nationals really think the shy and reserved Strasburg would be a good coach, or is this just an attempt to shore him up to regain power? Is it a pleasant spring sight to see Strasburg, downtrodden in his locker, barely acknowledged by reporters even when healthy and playing? Or is the very idea itself threatening enough to force a man who has always shunned the spotlight into a new deal?
Whatever this is, it’s awful for a team to do something like this to a player who helped change the identity of DC baseball and who signed a contract to get better terms for the players. .
Strasburg isn’t the first player with millions of dollars on his contract deemed physically unable to play. But in cases like David Wright and Prince Fielder, their respective teams had insurance policies that paid a portion of the players’ salaries. In the case of both Fielder (who was released by the Rangers) and Wright (who was released and became a special advisor to the Mets), settlements were reached with insurance companies for some of the money. Wright also agreed to restructure his salary by $15 million in 2019.
The Nationals took no insurance against Strasburg. The feeling was that even if the club and company agreed on a policy, the premiums would be prohibitive given Strasburg’s long injury history and age. If they had done so, perhaps some of the money could have been paid out. Possibly ownership was enough to digest the rest. Perhaps Strasburg, despite his aversion to attention, would have smiled and endured the pleasant podium scene for a few minutes.
Instead, we’re in the first few days of spring training, with the Nationals playing against their homegrown stars.
(Top photo: Kelly Gavin / MLB Photos via Getty Images)
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