Read the debate intro and Sports Geek’s argument that Stephen Strasburg got the better of the Nats in signing his deal.
The Washington Nationals are winners.
I know that is a statement not heard very often, so I’ll pause for a moment to let it sink in!
I wish I could tell fans of the team that owns the worst record in the Majors that I was referring to last night’s game, but I cannot (big surprise!). Nevertheless, Nats fans need SOMETHING to be happy about, and this is one of those things!
What I am referring to is the deal reached last week between the Washington Nationals and pitcher Stephen Strasburg. In no way am I implying that Strasburg is a loser in the deal (anyone who signs a multi-million dollar contract is a winner in my book), but the Nationals definitely came out ahead on this one! After another disappointing season which, through the first half of August was defined by the federal investigation (and resignation) of general manager Jim Bowden, the Nationals DESPERATELY needed to have something positive to build on for next year. That positive became the signing of Strasburg.
Before the draft even began it was clear that an agreement between Strasburg (with agent Scott Boras) and the Nationals would be unlikely. Boras, who closed a deal between pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka and the Boston Red Sox for more than $50M, made the statement that he believed Strasburg’s price should be “in the ballpark.” The implication of that statement was that he would be expecting close to $50M for Strasburg, in order to make the deal a reality.
When you consider Boras’ position, it looked like he had all the leverage in this negotiation. If the deal fell through, Strasburg would simply play independent ball somewhere and re-enter the draft next year to be signed by another team that would pay him AT LEAST as much as the Nationals were going to offer him. For the Nationals, however, the downside of failing to sign Strasburg was much steeper. Losing this deal would mark the second consecutive year the Nats would fail to sign their top draft pick, after being unable to sign pitcher Aaron Crow out of Missouri last season. They also appeared to be headed toward a last-place finish for the season, setting them up to go through the same agonizing negotiations next year with yet another top draft pick. The writing on the wall indicated that the Nationals may be willing to deal for just about any price. Sure, they would likely balk at the demand of $50M, but Boras obviously believed that he could get Strasburg close to that amount.
Despite that seeming desperation, there was some speculation that the Nationals would still hold firm and would not respond in the manner Boras seemed to expect. In fact, former Nationals general manager at the time, Jim Bowden, made the statement that the Nationals WOULD sign Strasburg, but not until “11:57pm on August 15th.” He predicted that the deal would be for $15M (perhaps if Bowden had been able to demonstrate that same clairvoyance in other aspects of his position, he would still be general manager for a much more successful Washington team!).
Well, the offer was made, and no one was surprised when Strasburg held out on accepting the $12M originally placed on the table. While the dollar amount made a record deal for a draft pick, it totaled $38M less than what Boras had implied as the expected dollar amount. After two months of failed attempts at negotiations, it appeared that the Nationals would once again lose out on signing their top draft pick, as Strasburg and Boras continued to demand more than the record amount being offered to them.
Literally with only seconds remaining (77 seconds to be exact) before the Nationals lost all rights to the number one overall pick from the 2009 draft they were able to close a deal which made Strasburg a member of the Nationals through the 2012 season.
With so much to lose (both in terms of money, or in terms of failing to retain another top prospect), the Nationals held firm despite an undeniable need to sign Strasburg, and still made a deal for $35M less than what Scott Boras had implied he would expect for his athlete. That makes the Nationals big winners! With absolutely no leverage to negotiate from, they still made THEIR deal by somehow convincing Strasburg that he needed the Nationals more than the Nationals needed him.
Enjoy the small victory, Nats fans!
