Sources requesting anonymity because of the sensitivity of negotiations are reporting that if the Washington Nationals and Stephen Strasburg do not get a deal done by the deadline that agent Scott Boras will have Strasburg renter the draft in 2010. Apparently, Strasburg will not sign for the amount currently offered. But that’s not the news – apparently, rather than play independent baseball for a year, Boras is considering sending Strasburg to Japan to play for a year.
Washington's current offer has been on the table since the team's ownership group, along with president Stan Kasten and acting general manager Mike Rizzo, traveled to California last week to meet with Strasburg.
This has turned out to be the ultimate game of chicken. The specific amount of the Nats' current offer to Strasburg remains unknown, but it exceeds the $10.5 million awarded to Chicago's Mark Prior in 2001, still the record for an amateur pitcher.
The Nat’s apparently have taken the position that they are going to offer him the richest contract ever, however that number is not negotiable and is a take it or leave it offer.
I don’t know how anyone turns down a sum of money of more than 10.5 million dollars for their first job out of college, but that’s where they are. Almost all involved, to this point, expect the negotiations to go down to the final hours, if not the final minutes. Strasburg has until midnight on Monday to sign with the Nationals.
Boras often gets blamed for these things but he’s just doing his job. If the player really wants to sign, he has the right to tell Boras to just take the deal. So if this deal doesn’t get done – Boras shouldn’t get blamed. The ball is in Strasburg’s court. Tick-Toc-Tick-Toc – Josh Bolan
Josh Bolan is a retired AP baseball reporter and now works as a freelance writer in Fresno California. Josh has been contributing to baseball publications as a writer since 1996.
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