Wire Taps: Washington Nationals & Stephen Strasburg 10-year anniversary; MLB’s new 2020 season proposal & response + more...

Another day, another MLB plan for a potential 2020 season that the players don’t like. This time, reports on the latest offer tell us, it’s for a 76-game season, starting July 10th, after a 21-day-ish Spring Training, and ending on September 27th, in which the players would get 75%, “of the full prorated salary of $1,909,436 over 76 games,” if they have a postseason (and 50% if not) with up to eight teams in the playoffs, no qualifying offers for free agents after this season, draft pick compensation for teams that lose FAs who sign, “... multiyear deals at $35M+ or one-year deals at $17.8M+,” and no loss of picks for the teams that sign them, plus the ability to opt-out for those, “high-risk” players, who will, “retain their salaries and service time,” though players who decide they’ll play, may according to reports, have to sign, “... an acknowledgement of risk waiver while playing games during this pandemic.”

So... yeah. Go read your links, this might take a while longer:

NATS BEAT:

10 years later, Strasburg's debut still leaves us in awe - (MASN)
"If you were at Nationals Park on a beautiful Tuesday evening 10 years ago today, you can say you did see something unique."

Stephen Strasburg debut 10 years ago lit up Pirates - (Sports Illustrated)
"Don Long’s tone was grave. His players were about to face the most-hyped pitching prospect in history, and he wanted to make sure they understood what awaited them."

Nationals again look to build depth through draft - (MASN)
"With the First-Year Player Draft two days away, Rizzo will again most likely draft for potential versus need."

What if Max Scherzer had a clean fifth inning in Game 5 against the Cubs? - (NBC Sports Washington)
"Here, we are going to contort history. Instead of Scherzer dealing with four consecutive plays that had never previously happened in the same half-inning in the history of baseball, he gets out of it."

‘Adopt a Minor Leaguer’ provides support, friendship during pandemic - (WaPost)
"To further lighten their financial load, Rivers has paired nearly 450 minor league players from all 30 MLB organizations with fan sponsors, who commit to spending roughly $100 to $150 a month on care packages, gift cards or other types of monetary support."

Nationals' Top 5 relief pitchers: Camerato's take - (MLB.com)
"Clippard accumulated a 10.1 WAR, 2.68 ERA and 530 strikeouts in his seven years in Washington -- by far the most time the nomadic hurler has spent with one franchise."

MLB PROPOSAL:

Report: MLB makes 76-game proposal to players, MLBPA considers it worse than prior offer - (NBC Sports Washington)
"According to ESPN's Karl Ravech, the offer included a 76-game schedule ending on September 27th and 75% prorated salaries."

Nationals' Sean Doolittle calls public labor dispute between MLB team owners, players 'frustrating' - (NBC Sports Washington)
"Max Scherzer surprisingly used Twitter two weeks ago to put out a statement. Sean Doolittle followed Monday with expanded thoughts of his own."

MLB return: Team owners’ counter-proposal closer, but still with holes - (NBC Sports Washington)
"The players’ rebuttal was delivered with the news. According to USA Today, the players view this response from the league as 'a step backwards.'"

MLB, union debacle may bring joyless season and ugly aftermath - (NY Post)
"What is being lost by major league owners and players is so much more than an 82-game season and wrapping themselves in wall-to-wall games on Independence Day weekend and potentially creating new fans starved for live games."

Other sports move to resume. MLB fights over money - (AJC.com)
"The NBA has a restart plan. (Might not work, but a plan exists and has been approved.) MLS has a plan. The NHL has a plan. Baseball has … "

NATIONAL(S) BEAT:

Rooting for the Home Team: DC Air National Guard F-16 Gets a Baseball Makeover - (Military.com)
"The Air Force recently painted the Washington Nationals baseball team's 'curly W' logo on the tail of a two-seater 'D' training model F-16 assigned to the National Guard's 113th Fighter Wing."

Stephen Strasburg’s MLB Debut, A Personal History - (Forbes)
"It was late May, and anticipation was building as to when Stephen Strasburg would be called up from Triple-A Syracuse to make his long-awaited big league debut."

NL EAST UPDATES:

Phillies weighing options for 15th overall pick in MLB amateur draft unlike any other - (Philadelphia Inquirer)
"So much for draft night normalcy. But then that notion went out the window in March when college seasons were suspended and high school seasons got canceled altogether."

Matt Harvey has reached out to Mets about reunion, says Boomer Esiason - (SNY)
"Matt Harvey has reached out to the Mets about a potential reunion, reports Boomer Esiason of WFAN 660, who added that New York would consider it."

Former MLB stars who played for the Marlins in their final season - (Fish Stripes)
"In this article, we will focus on former standouts who played for the team during their final season in the Major Leagues."

MLB Prospect Review: RHP Ian Anderson of the Atlanta Braves - (Fake Teams)
"Ian Anderson is primed to help Atlanta as soon as 2020, but he’s missing valuable Triple-A experience due to a postponed season."