Nationals News, Fasten Your Seatbelts Edition

by John Quinn on Aug 14, 2009 10:51 AM EDT

Get ready: this weekend is going to be intense. After today, the Nationals have just three days left to sign Stephen Strasburg, the number one draft pick of 2009, and (according to some) the best amateur pitcher in a generation. After failing to sign Aaron Crow last season (who subsequently became Kansas City's headache), the Nationals need to sign Strasburg to bring stability to their rotation and restore the faith of their fans. If the Nats let their first-round pick go unsigned yet again, they won't be taken seriously in the future; given that they're on track to have the first pick in the 2010 draft as well, that's a big deal. Last year, five Boras-represented players picked in the first round hadn't signed going into deadline day, four of those had signed by the end of the day. If Rizzo doesn't ink a deal with Strasburg, he won't be around next year. If he does, he still has a shot, but his return is still far from guaranteed. Get your F5 buttons ready, folks, there's going to be a lot of refreshing this weekend.

Bronson Arroyo was spot-on last night, high-kicking his way to a complete game shutout against the Nationals. After the game, Riggleman admitted that the way the Nationals played made them look bad -- Arroyo is good, but he's not that good.

Nyjer Morgan, who has been picked off an awful lot lately, realizes he needs to get better at stealing bases. May I suggest not attempting the steal on the first pitch as often?

Pete Franch... I mean Ryan Zimmerman happens to be one of the many Nats fans who wants to see Stephen Strasburg in a Nationals uniform.

Nats Triple Play points to Jordan Zimmermann's injury as testament to Mike Rizzo's plan to draft and trade for as many young arms as possible.

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From MLBTR:

Heyman On Strasburg, Boras, Rizzo
By Ben Nicholson-Smith [August 14, 2009 at 12:25pm CST]

Jon Heyman of SI.com hears from people around the league who guess that Stephen Strasburg is in line for a bonus worth $12-30MM – if he signs, that is. Here are the rest of Heyman’s Strasburg-related rumors:

    * Agent Scott Boras says teams dictate a slow negotiating pace and he and his clients merely follow along.
    * Boras doesn’t see why Strasburg should get less than Daisuke Matsuzaka, who signed for $52MM.
    * Boras says the draft currently penalizes Americans, who, unlike international players, are limited to the team that drafts them.
    * The Nationals visited Southern California to make a presentation to Strasburg, but there’s no evidence they made him an impressive offer. Ben Goessling of the Washington Times also reports that the Nats paid Strasburg a visit last week.
    * Strasburg doesn’t seem likely to play in Japan if he doesn’t sign.
    * Boras says Strasburg will ultimately decide whether to accept the Nats’ offer.
    * Some people around the Nationals believe that acting GM Mike Rizzo will get the permanent GM job. He’s got a busy few days coming up.

by John Quinn on Aug 14, 2009 2:08 PM EDT reply actions

Interesting to see so much coverage of the Nats in a single post, but I’m glad that Boras realizes the decision is ultimately up to Strasburg.

by John Quinn on Aug 14, 2009 2:08 PM EDT up reply actions

All press is good press, right ?

by Berndaddy on Aug 14, 2009 2:16 PM EDT up reply actions

Is Boras really still bringing up Daisuke?

2007 15-12, 4.40 ERA in 32 starts and 204.2 innings
2008 18-3 2.90 ERA in 29 starts and 167.2 innings
2009 1-5 8.23 ERA in 8 starts and 35.0 innings (last pitched Jun 19 )

Salary not including bonuses or the $50mil paid to his Japanese team to sign him ……..
2007 Boston Red Sox $6,333,333
2008 Boston Red Sox $8,333,333

"He's just a draft pick"... "It's not the end of the world if he doesn't sign"
FB dot com taking the right tone for the Strasburg issue. 8 Aug 09.

by cat daddy3000 on Aug 14, 2009 2:27 PM EDT up reply actions

Exactly.

If you’re going to bring up how much somebody else was paid, wouldn’t you want to talk about a player who was paid a lot and then actually did something?

by John Quinn on Aug 14, 2009 2:31 PM EDT up reply actions

Yup...... one great year and injured sounds like a good Nats' strategy to keep the price down.

"He's just a draft pick"... "It's not the end of the world if he doesn't sign"
FB dot com taking the right tone for the Strasburg issue. 8 Aug 09.

by cat daddy3000 on Aug 14, 2009 2:34 PM EDT up reply actions

I hear ya...

by Berndaddy on Aug 14, 2009 3:50 PM EDT up reply actions

So, is Boras saying US College baseball is as competitive as Japanese major leagues?

I know he’s a salesman. It worked for him against the Yankees because it was a proven everyday player who is arguably the best player in all of baseball right now.

Instead, Strasburg is potentially a great pro pitcher…but remember, his only loss of the season came when he played a middle of the pack ACC team in the playoffs. He did have pretty weak competition out there. Still darn impressive, but not some super-man.

by RoscoeNats on Aug 14, 2009 4:15 PM EDT up reply actions