Can the Nationals Sign Stephen Strasburg?
June 10, 2009 by Stephen Kersey
Filed under Baseball
The good news for the Washington Nationals is that they have the rights to Stephen Strasburg after selecting him first overall in the 2009 MLB Draft. The college pitching phenom struck out almost two batter per inning this season during one of the most dominating pitching seasons on record.
The bad news? They now have to sign him. His agent, Scott Boras, is infamous around the baseball world for squeezing out every possible penny. Considering that Strasburg is a once in a decade type talent, there’s absolutely no doubt that Boras is going to try to get the pitcher a contract that would make him by far the highest paid draft pick in baseball history.
How much will Boras ask for in the negotiations? $50 million? $75 million? The sky is the limit.
The Nationals will have to decide if they are going to spend that type of money. While they are known to be cheap when it comes to signing draft picks, they may face a fan revolt if they don’t sign Strasburg.
If I had to guess, my guess is that the Nationals will eventually crack and sign their number one overall pick. Strasburg is too good and the Nationals can’t afford to further disenfranchise their fans.
Stephen Strasburg - Washington Nationals (Image: Zuma Press)
