Series MVP Strasburg a free agent
Opts out of $100 million deal but might come back to Nats
WASHINGTON — Just hours after the Washington Nationals celebrated their World Series title with a parade, their offseason picked up with a handful of moves Saturday night.
At the center of them was starter Stephen Strasburg, their World Series MVP, who opted out of his contract and will test free agency, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. Strasburg could still renegotiate a deal to remain with the Nationals. But, either way, this was the first domino to fall for a team that will look different next season.
Not even champions can sidestep the reality of baseball’s offseason.
All-star third baseman Anthony Rendon, a National League MVP candidate, is a free agent, and negotiations are “sort of at square one,” according to a person with knowledge of them, though the Nationals remain committed to bringing him back. Longtime face of the franchise Ryan Zimmerman has an $18 million team option for 2020 that won’t be picked up, but both sides remain open to a cheaper short-term deal.
The Nationals will not exercise a 2020 club option on catcher Yan Gomes, according to a person with knowledge of the situation, but Gomes remains interested in returning if the numbers work out. Gomes’s option was for $9 million. Not surprisingly, the Nationals did exercise 2020 options for left-handed reliever Sean Doolittle ($6.5 million) and right fielder Adam Eaton ($9.5 million).
Rendon officially became a free agent Thursday morning, along with postseason star Howie Kendrick, Game 7 closer Daniel Hudson, “Baby Shark” fan favorite Gerardo Parra, second basemen Asdrúbal Cabrera and Brian Dozier, plus pitchers Fernando Rodney, Jeremy Hellickson and Jonny Venters. Strasburg and Gomes lengthened that list by Saturday night. Those close to Strasburg believe he would like to stay in Washington, where he moved his family last offseason and has been since the Nationals drafted him with the first pick in 2009. But the opt-out is also perfectly timed to his career arc.
Strasburg signed a seven-year, $175 million extension in May 2016. He still has four years and $100 million left on that contract. Yet the demand for him may never be higher. Strasburg won World Series MVP honors with two wins against the Houston Astros, including a Game 6 gem that lasted 8 1/3 innings. He became the first pitcher to post a 5-0 record in the postseason. He had a 1.98 ERA in six appearances.
He is represented by agent Scott Boras, like Rendon, and it was Boras who negotiated Max Scherzer’s seven-year, $210 million contract in January 2015. Scherzer was 30 and a Cy Young Award winner when he signed that deal. Strasburg is now 31 and a World Series MVP, making it feasible to use Scherzer’s figures as a baseline. Strasburg would be the second-biggest pitcher on the market behind Gerrit Cole. Strasburg’s standout regular season — 33 starts, an NL-leading 209 innings, a 3.32 ERA — was complemented by marked improvements in his demeanor and approach.
“I’ve really learned that if I focus on the things that I can control, and I think I’ve learned that I’m a perfectionist, I’ve learned that I’m a control freak,” Strasburg said after the Nationals won the title. “And in this game it’s very hard to be perfect. It’s very hard to control things. But the one thing that you can control is your approach and how you handle your business off the field. And when you go out there and compete, it’s just about execution.
“And you put in all the work in the offseason, in between starts, to go out there and try and be the best version of yourself. And that’s something you can control every time.”