That if teams didnt want to put up with this nonsense they would just not deal with Boras clients. The problem: one team always will, therfore they will always be able to get that talent (while other teams dont). If the Nats had not signed Stras because he was a Boras client…the fans would have been in an outrage suggesting the Lerners are cheap and the franchise is not competitive (havent we heard this before?).

Not sure Stras will get too much bad blood from the fans. Especially if the kid actually plays well… then the fans will have a short memory. But I dont think the players will forget – and I think that Dibs recent comments on Stephen Drew might be quite accurate in regards to guys like Stras (he was never liked anywhere he went). I wouldnt expect Stras to have many friends in baseball…apart from Boras (and maybe Dukes).

“This kid is so impressive. We have nothing but the highest regard for him. If he wants to come and begin his career right now — and do so with the largest contract ever given to any drafted player in the history of Major League Baseball — we can help him accomplish that,” Kasten told the AP. “But if this is more about changing the whole way an industry does business, then we won’t be able to reach a deal.”

If they haven’t given Strasburg a bound copy of this story….well…
http://joeposnanski.com/JoeBlog/2009/05/12/the-curious-case-of-matt-harrington/

“It’s important for any franchise that wants to keep moving forward and getting better to sign its top pick, but I guess there are certain limits to how much you can spend," said Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, who received a signing bonus of nearly $3 million after being drafted by Washington with the No. 4 overall pick in 2005. "At some point, he has to say how much money is enough before he even steps out onto the field."

Zimmerman added about Strasburg: "I’ve seen him on TV once or twice. He throws hard. He’s got good stuff. But again, you have to ask yourself: How much money can you make without ever throwing a pitch?"

Bob Carpenter and Rob Dibble also pointed out that Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn (who was also Strasburg’s college coach) said that Strasburg’s breaking ball wouldn’t fool any major league hitters. And one baseball analyst broke down the tape of Strasburg’s pitching mechanics, discovering that Strasburg’s arms form the shape of a “W” as he is throwing. This means that he is putting a lot of extra stress on his throwing shoulder, much more than a pitcher with a more upright arm angle during the throwing motion. The analyst (I forget who it was but it might have been one of the guys on ESPN’s “Baseball Tonight”) said that this could mean that Strasburg would have a greater chance of recurring injuries along the lines of a Pedro Martinez.

If Strasburg is set for life before ever throwing a single pitch in a professional game, where is his motivation to compete, improve and win? Why couldn’t he just go through the motions for a few years and then live off all of those millions? There have been other extremely gifted pro athletes with all the talent in the world who never worked that hard and ended up with disappointing careers. What does anyone really know about Strasburg’s motivation and drive at this point?

Just more reasons not to break the bank on one untested player. I’d rather see the team spend $50 million on a proven commodity like a past Cy Young Award winner/free agent still in his prime.

In our little poll, 63 percent have voted against Strasburg so far, with 57 total votes. I actually thought the numbers would have been more evenly balanced for and against Strasburg. I’m glad that I’m not the only one getting ticked off with the Boras/Strasburg nonsense.

Honestly, after all this mess I don’t know why any new guy would sign with Boras…Ok, I can think of a few million reasons why, but it seems like unless you’re proven in the league you’re not normally going to get that kind of money and having an agent like Boras immediately puts you against your potential fans and your potential front office. It’s like this kid’s saying, pay me, I don’t care about you or your concerns about my arm.

I wouldn’t buy something because Strasburg endorsed it. Just more money in his pocket. He’ll have enough money as it is, IF he signs.

Anyway, tick, tock. Tick, tock. Less than one hour to go…

In case you’re not familiar with a Dutch auction, the seller starts off with a high price and lowers it progressively until someone places a bid. That bid is the winning bid. Bidders have an incentive to bid sooner because they risk losing the item to someone else.

The Nats should have put a high offer on the table (though not a break-the-bank deal) right after the draft. They should have said, “Take this deal now or else every week you delay, we’ll drop the amount by 3 percent.”