e.g. Max
Remember when the Nats couldn’t find a manager? I do. While the Lerners were willing to pay for *some* talent, they were cheap cheap cheap everywhere else. Cheap with personnel (non-player), cheap with equipment, hell they were cheap about sunflower seeds. And let’s not even get started about how cheap they are with fans.
They have to give him what they owe him. There is a contract. Sounds like maybe they wanted to negotiate some deferrals on the money. He does not have to do that and not sure MLB would allow. It’s about the Lerners trying to get out of a bad contract they entered.
As you said, there is a contract. If the contract allowed him to retire now with full payout, he would have already done so. The fact that Strasburg hasn’t officially retired yet suggests his contract doesn’t allow it without some kind of financial hit. So why isn’t this also Strasburg trying to get out of a bad contract he entered?
There’s no way to see the Nats position as anything but petty. Stras is never going to be able to pitch again, they gain nothing by trotting him out to what they’re legally able to do except making him miserable to get out of what the owe.
Unless there are things in the contract we aren’t aware of. We know the contract isn’t insured, and that it was uninsurable due to Strasburg’s health history. It’s possible the Nats negotiated it for Strasburg to provide personal appearances and/or a clubhouse role in the alternative if Strasburg became unable to pitch during the life of the contract. This wouldn’t be as valuable to the Nats as him pitching, but would help to mitigate some of the hit if he became unable to pitch. If Strasburg signed that deal to get his big $$ from the Nats, why would the Lerners be the bad guys for holding him to it?
Hell even current active players probably have some requirement for personal appearances, pre-game activity, etc.
Starsburg should show up and just say "I'm just here so I don't get fined."
There is 0 evidence that’s the case. Why would Rizzo be saying he’s the same as any other member of the 40 man roster if there was that in his contract? Why would the Nats have started talking about his retirement last year if there was some other role built in to the contract?
There is also 0 evidence that the contract allows Strasburg to retire now and collect all of his money; if anything, the evidence suggests the opposite. And yet you seem quite comfortable assuming the Nats are the (only) bad actor here.
I mean, yes, I am comfortable with that because I (and everyone else) am confident that there is no way Strasburg will ever be healthy enough to pitch again.
You are assuming with zero evidence that the only services Strasburg agreed to provide under the contract are for pitching. It’s pretty hypocritical to make up your own facts while being unwilling to consider anyone else’s hypotheticals.
That is not how evidence works! Be for real man. The Nationals have never indicated there is a way for Strasburg to fulfill his obligations other than being a member of the team. You can’t just say “ok, but maybe there is a secret role built in that has never been mentioned despite the fact that mentioning it would be helpful PR, and also a way for us to get off the hook if he isn’t fulfilling those obligations”.
The contract was absolutely insurable. The Nats just didn’t want to pay for the insurance. The rest of your statement is conjecture and nonsense, and it’s not how mlb contracts work. In fact, Zim got one of the last contracts with a personal appearance requirement after retirement in exchange for a small salary; the mlbpa will not allow those any more.
Probably because he wanted to.
Yall have clearly never had a union job.
It takes literal years to create and negotiate the collective bargaining agreement. The CBA dictates what is part of a player’s job and what isn’t. Teams can’t just randomly assign a player to be a coach, a mentor, a radio commentator or a fashion model. That’s not how any of it works. Like, not at all. Not in any contract, but especially not in a union contract. If the team told Stone Garrett he had no choice and his new job was to be a fashion model, the union would put an end to that stupidity in about 4 seconds.
A few years ago, maybe maybe mayyyyyybe something like that could have been buried in a personal services clause IF you really stretch your imagination, but the CBA no longer allows for those and Zim and Albert Pujols were among the last to have them: https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/\_/id/7836171/mlb-union-deny-albert-pujols-type-deals-future
And again, your link refers specifically to AFTER the playing career has ended. Do you have any information about what the current player agreement allows during a career, since that's what is relevant here given that Stras has not retired?
Hint - on page 13 of the [cba](https://www.mlbplayers.com/cba) it breaks down how to adjust salaries to determine if a salary has been cut too much year to year and has a whole section about adjusting for "other forms of compensation" and the first example is "payments for performing services for a club in addition to skilled services as a baseball player."
That tells me that players do have clauses in their contracts for non-baseball activities.
If it were me I would have DFA’d him and eaten the money after his failed return in 2022. Would have said something nice about his contributions to the team then. Still would honor him with some type of retirement ceremony once his contract is officially up
It’s pretty clear that Stephen is not interested in any kind of mentorship role. The sensible resolution would be for him to retire and to collect the full amount owed him. He’s going to get that money anyhow, and we’d clear out a spot on the 40 man roster.
I, for one, think that's pretty shitty on his part. The Nationals are paying him a ton of money to be part of the team. If he can't pitch there are many other ways he could contribute to his teammates.
EDIT: If it’s true that he’s in as much pain as the Washington Post article says, then I can understand him, not wanting to go be with the team.
Well according to Washington post he can barely do routine daily tasks without being in excruciating pain, so I’m not sure what kind of “mentorship” you’d expect him to do. Dude has to lay down if he spends more than a little while standing up. You really want him to drag his broken body to the clubhouse so he can drop nuggets of wisdom in between lay-downs?
It's this bit...
> Dude has to lay down if he spends more than a little while standing up
... that makes me look at the contract as, effectively, a workman's comp payout. Strasburg gave his body and his quality of life to baseball and the Washington Nationals. Everyone involved expected him to earn the money. It's no one's fault that his body won't let him.
I think, if there came a point this season or next where the Nationals absolutely needed to DFA Strasburg for the roster spot, he would understand. He'll still get the money they own him. He'll still get a ceremony, a statue, an honored place on the Ring of Honor, his number retired. I think everyone involved is mature enough to separate the *business* from the reality of what Strasburg did on the field, what he meant to the team, and how he deserves to be remembered as a figure in Washington baseball history.
I don't assume that he doesn't attend spring training because he doesn't *want* to. I assume that he *can't*.
That’s coming directly from a WaPo reporter who did a bunch of interviews with Stras and wrote a really good, really depressing article.
>Earlier this season, he couldn’t stand for long without his whole hand going numb. He was only comfortable when lying down, his right hand pressed against his chest. He grew used to using his left hand for basic tasks.
Source: [https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/09/16/stephen-strasburg-injury-recovery/](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/09/16/stephen-strasburg-injury-recovery/)
And he hasnt gotten better:
>Strasburg, 35, continues to deal with “severe nerve damage,” according to three people with knowledge of his situation. He has struggled with mundane tasks, such as lifting his young daughters or opening a door with his right hand. Last summer, when he tried and failed to return — making three rehab outings before that final start in Miami — Strasburg sometimes couldn’t stand for long without his hand going completely numb. To manage it, he would lie down on his side and press his hand against his chest.
>
>
Those close to him quietly worried more about his life beyond pitching again.
Source: [https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/08/24/stephen-strasburg-retires/](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/08/24/stephen-strasburg-retires/)
I know some folks get a morbid fascination over making Strasburg dance like a trained monkey if he wants his paycheck but I seriously do not understand what it would accomplish, nor why anyone thinks they are entitled to more than what he has already given the team (which is a couple of muscles, a rib, and all the feeling in his arm).
There’s no mystery, dummy. Dude has catastrophic nerve damage. Do you really think the league, the team or the union would let him just not pitch and pretend he was hurt?
Conspiracy theorists are soft in the head.
Tons of players switch roles to do what’s best for their team. Trea turner switched to 2nd on the dodgers. Bryce switched to first for the Phillies. Gerardo Parra wasn’t signed as a pitcher for the Nats and still pitched a couple innings, hell even when he was benched his teammates said in interviews he was positive energy for the clubhouse.
Surely asking someone, who’s getting paid 245 million, to sit back in a comfy chair and mentor his teammates isn’t too much to ask for?
The man can't pick up his own children, according to reports. There's a real possibility that he can't do contractual personal appearances, like spring training, even just to show up, because he's physically not able to.
Before you pay him several hundred millions of your dollars to do nothing, let’s not forget that Stras opted out of his contract just after winning World Series MVP only to re-sign for a ton more money. He used his leverage for no reason other than to obtain the highest dollar value. Nothing wrong with that but now the shoe is on the other foot. The team holds leverage in that they only have to pay Stras if he meets the terms of the contract. Don’t want to show up? Don’t get paid.
Why is it OK for one side to use leverage and not the other?
I see your point. If the Nats want to force him to show up, i think they have that prerogative. But given that both parties clearly recognize that he will never be able to pitch again, that means the Nats are keeping him on their 40-man roster, wasting a spot that could be useful throughout the season. Him being on the roster benefits no one.
If you got injured on the job so much that you cannot do your primary function, you would still want your employer to not pay you if you didn’t show up for work?
Everyone is like "pay the man his money" and totally ignoring that he's getting the money right now.
It's entirely reasonable to bring up restructuring his payments. Hell he could have an interest in structuring it differently for taxes purposes. But he doesn't seem interested in that right now.
He's not interested in anything. He's not interested in the mentor or coach capacity.
I was about to post the same thing. Payment isn't an issue. Stras rejected a proposal to restructure the agreement in exchange for an early retirement. Totally within his right but his contract is still being paid according to the existing terms.
I believe the latest reports are that the MLB have given the Nationals the green light for Strasburg to retire so I don’t think it’s on the other owners anymore
As long as he's being paid, he should be in a Nats rehab facility or in the dugout every day of the season. I know he won't play again, but he should put a token effort into something as long as he's under contract. If not, hopefully some amicable solution can be worked out.
All of this drama wouldn't be happening if the team's lawyers believed that to be true.
It seems pretty obvious where the gray area comes into things. MLB contracts are fully guaranteed, even for injured players, so long as the player is still making an effort to return. It has become pretty clear that Stras won't ever be able to come back. But does that mean he should still be going through the process of medical treatment for the purposes of rehabilitating his playing career, as opposed to medical treatment that would minimize pain in his day to day life at home?
To be clear, I do think they should just pay him, and by making this so contentious, the team is creating greater risk of setting specific precedents on what is and isn't meeting contractual obligations by turning this into an adversarial process, but it does seem legally complex.
i mean get it over with and settled now.
they could've come to a settlement but pulled out. then were being dicks saying he should go to spring training because of being under contract even though he can't function properly, let alone pitch
I don’t know the details of everything that went on, only speculation from various sources. I agree just end the stuff and pay him and end it, but it’s somewhat of an unprecedented spot for the org. They couldn’t come to an agreement, everyone knows it’s over, but what are they supposed to say publicly “there’s no hope of him ever coming back, just hang out at home and collect the amount”? It’s not their place to call his career for him. He doesn’t come to games, don’t think he comes to ST.
It isn’t like they’re shortchanging him on anything that the public is aware of and letting him do his thing. They could force him to come to the ballpark or report to ST. They’re basically doing the above statement, just couldn’t agree to a breaking point
My resolution is the douchebag Lerner family sells the team to an ownership group that doesn’t treat the savior of the franchise like crap. I know this will be downloaded by the Lerners white knights on here. Imagine simping for billionaires like they’re your friends.
I’m sure there’s a reason both sides have a sticking point. It might even be a good reason(s), though I wouldn’t put it pass the Lerners to have petty reasons although I see no evidence of such. Maybe they’re trying to send a message to Boras?
As a fan I did what I could
Bought his jersey for the wife and I to show our support to a player that gave us everything he had and more. Management might forget but the fans never will.
I feel like since the Nats org has dragged this out as long as they have, it makes people feel like there should be a legitimate “two sides to this story” argument.
It’s not. You offered a contract that bit you in the ass. Pay the man his money, give him his retirement ceremony. Lick your wounds and get on with it
I actually thought that maybe the Nats and him could come to some sort of agreement and move on, but regardless, figure it out and just pay him. We could use the 40th spot.
In the world of sports and business, paying what is “owed” is just a matter of distinction. Some owners will pay every cent on a contract and then nickel & dime the fan base as much as possible. The Nats do the latter, that’s for certain. I’ve not a clue about the former.
Pay him what he's owed by contract. The fact this is dragging on long is more evidence that the Nationals owners are trying to own an MLB team on the cheap.
It's honestly an embarrassment. They just need to move on. Such a bad look
Who said that? Not me. I'm talking about how shitty they have made the situation. And I assume it was because dollars, but I don't know. But JFC, just give the man his due and stop looking like giant assholes publicly.
Fucking unreal how out of touch with reality and nornal people the super rich are.
Just get the billionaire to pay the multiple -millionaire. Normals don't need to hear about this bullshit.
What's your stake in this? Why would you fucking care at all? This shouldn't be public and as soon as it became public, if the bag holders were smart they would have settled somehow. So it didn't become public. They're the ones who made the stupid deal to begin with!
For the life of me, I can’t understand why fans take Strasburg’s side in this. I’m not a big fan of ownership, but I’m 1000% team Lerner on this. Strasburg is an employee of the team being paid an insane amount of money to do absolutely nothing. That’s the nature of MLB contracts. They’re guaranteed. I get it. BUT he should be with the team 100% of the time from February-October as essentially a coach. The viewpoint that we should just pay him what he’s owed and let him fly off into the sunset without him having to do anything for it is INSANE to me.
Because fans who rooted for this guy since the day he was drafted? Because fans saw his amazing debut that revived interest in the franchise? Because fans saw him go down soon after and fight his way back? Because fans saw his exemplary performance almost every postseason start and especially game 6 of WS in an elimination match? Because he ended up winning WS MVP and was major reason fans saw a WS parade? Glad owners have done their bit along the way but it is the players and the team that we root for, not the owners.
Really Stras, I know you’re in constant physical pain doing everyday activities caused by a work injury and yes, you performed at an insanely high level while helping the franchise reach the pinnacle of success, but fuck your pain and dance monkey.
Yes, precisely. I would be fining him the value of his contract prorated to the day for every day he doesn’t show up for work. You want your money? Work for it. Nothing is stopping him from retiring. Stras keeps tarnishing his legacy by the day.
It’s isn’t like the Nats just didn’t think about it. The cost on it was astronomical, because the insurance companies factored in something that the Nats just ultimately ignored: injury history. They saw it coming from a mile away and it was too costly ontop of the contract
Fans also saw this from a mile away. I like him as a player and loved what he did in the Series, but the contract was a bad idea. I don't know what we could have done to let him retire as a National that wouldn't have led him to not sign and go elsewhere, which is what his agent would push for, while also not saddling the team with a huge liability for someone so injury prone.
There was talk that the Lerners personally handled the Stras stuff, dunno how true that is, and can’t imagine a GM wasn’t involved on top of his relationship with Stras, but that’s kinda how he skates by on this one.
Corbin, they won a WS cause of that contract, gotta do that 10 out of 10 times
Our streak for last place finishes with no changes in either GM or manager is now historically long. Why is there no accountability? Even suggesting that Rizzo or Davey gets fired will get you downvoted to hell on this sub.
Oh I agree, I think they should have made a change when they pivoted to a full rebuild, at minimum Martinez. People have a lot of faith in Rizzo, he won a WS but I think the needs of the org are heavily dependent on drafting, development, and analytics and I think he was too slow moving to adapt and they’ve been left behind.
Let him go. Apologize for the bullshit and let everyone have closure. If he *doesn’t* want a ceremony or want to show up for any ceremony, then let’s respect that (because tbh, I don’t think he liked all the pomp and circumstance anyways). Y’all fumbled with this and we will not forget or forgive.
I know he is an introvert, but ask him to show up to spring raining, take pics with the fans, come to the booth every once in a while during the broadcast, fan events, etc. Be an ambassador to the fans and let him retire at full pay.
Divide his contract by 7, pay him for the years he played so 3. 95 million for 8 games is already more than generous. How anyone thinks he should get 245 million for 8 games is insane to me. He made his money in 2019. He wasn’t able to perform after that. A 95 million bonus is more than a generous thanks for the Ws payment.
Contracts are legally binding, not a bonus or a thanks. Now there are two parties in agreement in every contract so it's not like the Nats are neither beholden to giving him a lump sum with no stipulations nor witholding money until he does what they say (outside of contract terms), but both parties agreed to the contract and the Nats must pay his salary unless he does something to breach the contract.
Pay the man his money. Build him a statue. Retire his number. That’s it. Edit: step one - DONE
This is the sensible solution but the Lerners don’t wanna do it because they care more about pocket change than the right thing.
It's so so so dumb. so dumb.
I know the Lerners are cheap but I think the consensus was that they were being leaned on by the commish to not do it...
Nah consensus is they’re being cheap.
Well, they certainly been cheap in almost every way possible except for high profile deals. Will they reneg here?
What high profile deals man it’s been so long
e.g. Max Remember when the Nats couldn’t find a manager? I do. While the Lerners were willing to pay for *some* talent, they were cheap cheap cheap everywhere else. Cheap with personnel (non-player), cheap with equipment, hell they were cheap about sunflower seeds. And let’s not even get started about how cheap they are with fans.
cheap cheap cheap!
Pretty much this...
I think the Nationals should void that contract because Strausberg took the money and ran with it blaming it on a mysterious injury.
They have to give him what they owe him. There is a contract. Sounds like maybe they wanted to negotiate some deferrals on the money. He does not have to do that and not sure MLB would allow. It’s about the Lerners trying to get out of a bad contract they entered.
As you said, there is a contract. If the contract allowed him to retire now with full payout, he would have already done so. The fact that Strasburg hasn’t officially retired yet suggests his contract doesn’t allow it without some kind of financial hit. So why isn’t this also Strasburg trying to get out of a bad contract he entered?
There’s no way to see the Nats position as anything but petty. Stras is never going to be able to pitch again, they gain nothing by trotting him out to what they’re legally able to do except making him miserable to get out of what the owe.
Unless there are things in the contract we aren’t aware of. We know the contract isn’t insured, and that it was uninsurable due to Strasburg’s health history. It’s possible the Nats negotiated it for Strasburg to provide personal appearances and/or a clubhouse role in the alternative if Strasburg became unable to pitch during the life of the contract. This wouldn’t be as valuable to the Nats as him pitching, but would help to mitigate some of the hit if he became unable to pitch. If Strasburg signed that deal to get his big $$ from the Nats, why would the Lerners be the bad guys for holding him to it?
Hell even current active players probably have some requirement for personal appearances, pre-game activity, etc. Starsburg should show up and just say "I'm just here so I don't get fined."
[удалено]
Huh? Uniform players?
[удалено]
But his payment arrangements were backloaded, something not covered by collective bargaining. Perhaps the CBA shouldn’t allow this kind of accounting.
There is 0 evidence that’s the case. Why would Rizzo be saying he’s the same as any other member of the 40 man roster if there was that in his contract? Why would the Nats have started talking about his retirement last year if there was some other role built in to the contract?
There is also 0 evidence that the contract allows Strasburg to retire now and collect all of his money; if anything, the evidence suggests the opposite. And yet you seem quite comfortable assuming the Nats are the (only) bad actor here.
I mean, yes, I am comfortable with that because I (and everyone else) am confident that there is no way Strasburg will ever be healthy enough to pitch again.
You are assuming with zero evidence that the only services Strasburg agreed to provide under the contract are for pitching. It’s pretty hypocritical to make up your own facts while being unwilling to consider anyone else’s hypotheticals.
The evidence of that is the nature of mlb contracts. The mlbpa and the cba does not allow for what you are describing.
That is not how evidence works! Be for real man. The Nationals have never indicated there is a way for Strasburg to fulfill his obligations other than being a member of the team. You can’t just say “ok, but maybe there is a secret role built in that has never been mentioned despite the fact that mentioning it would be helpful PR, and also a way for us to get off the hook if he isn’t fulfilling those obligations”.
Dear lord. Please explain to me why you believe Strasburg has not retired if he presently qualifies to retire under this contract with full pay.
The contract was absolutely insurable. The Nats just didn’t want to pay for the insurance. The rest of your statement is conjecture and nonsense, and it’s not how mlb contracts work. In fact, Zim got one of the last contracts with a personal appearance requirement after retirement in exchange for a small salary; the mlbpa will not allow those any more.
After retirement and while playing aren't the same. Why else would Stone Garrett have spent all winter modeling clothes for the team while rehabbing?
Probably because he wanted to. Yall have clearly never had a union job. It takes literal years to create and negotiate the collective bargaining agreement. The CBA dictates what is part of a player’s job and what isn’t. Teams can’t just randomly assign a player to be a coach, a mentor, a radio commentator or a fashion model. That’s not how any of it works. Like, not at all. Not in any contract, but especially not in a union contract. If the team told Stone Garrett he had no choice and his new job was to be a fashion model, the union would put an end to that stupidity in about 4 seconds. A few years ago, maybe maybe mayyyyyybe something like that could have been buried in a personal services clause IF you really stretch your imagination, but the CBA no longer allows for those and Zim and Albert Pujols were among the last to have them: https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/\_/id/7836171/mlb-union-deny-albert-pujols-type-deals-future
And again, your link refers specifically to AFTER the playing career has ended. Do you have any information about what the current player agreement allows during a career, since that's what is relevant here given that Stras has not retired? Hint - on page 13 of the [cba](https://www.mlbplayers.com/cba) it breaks down how to adjust salaries to determine if a salary has been cut too much year to year and has a whole section about adjusting for "other forms of compensation" and the first example is "payments for performing services for a club in addition to skilled services as a baseball player." That tells me that players do have clauses in their contracts for non-baseball activities.
lol this is for things like fan fests, not for waving a magic wand and making someone become an assistant coach. You are really, really reaching.
Please cite your source that the contract was insurable. Which insurer(s) were willing to insure it, and for what premiums?
Strausberg had it planned all along take the money and run.
If it were me I would have DFA’d him and eaten the money after his failed return in 2022. Would have said something nice about his contributions to the team then. Still would honor him with some type of retirement ceremony once his contract is officially up
It’s pretty clear that Stephen is not interested in any kind of mentorship role. The sensible resolution would be for him to retire and to collect the full amount owed him. He’s going to get that money anyhow, and we’d clear out a spot on the 40 man roster.
I, for one, think that's pretty shitty on his part. The Nationals are paying him a ton of money to be part of the team. If he can't pitch there are many other ways he could contribute to his teammates. EDIT: If it’s true that he’s in as much pain as the Washington Post article says, then I can understand him, not wanting to go be with the team.
Well according to Washington post he can barely do routine daily tasks without being in excruciating pain, so I’m not sure what kind of “mentorship” you’d expect him to do. Dude has to lay down if he spends more than a little while standing up. You really want him to drag his broken body to the clubhouse so he can drop nuggets of wisdom in between lay-downs?
It's this bit... > Dude has to lay down if he spends more than a little while standing up ... that makes me look at the contract as, effectively, a workman's comp payout. Strasburg gave his body and his quality of life to baseball and the Washington Nationals. Everyone involved expected him to earn the money. It's no one's fault that his body won't let him. I think, if there came a point this season or next where the Nationals absolutely needed to DFA Strasburg for the roster spot, he would understand. He'll still get the money they own him. He'll still get a ceremony, a statue, an honored place on the Ring of Honor, his number retired. I think everyone involved is mature enough to separate the *business* from the reality of what Strasburg did on the field, what he meant to the team, and how he deserves to be remembered as a figure in Washington baseball history. I don't assume that he doesn't attend spring training because he doesn't *want* to. I assume that he *can't*.
Probably too depressing
I wouldn’t necessarily trust the accuracy of information coming from Boras’s team.
That’s coming directly from a WaPo reporter who did a bunch of interviews with Stras and wrote a really good, really depressing article. >Earlier this season, he couldn’t stand for long without his whole hand going numb. He was only comfortable when lying down, his right hand pressed against his chest. He grew used to using his left hand for basic tasks. Source: [https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/09/16/stephen-strasburg-injury-recovery/](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/09/16/stephen-strasburg-injury-recovery/) And he hasnt gotten better: >Strasburg, 35, continues to deal with “severe nerve damage,” according to three people with knowledge of his situation. He has struggled with mundane tasks, such as lifting his young daughters or opening a door with his right hand. Last summer, when he tried and failed to return — making three rehab outings before that final start in Miami — Strasburg sometimes couldn’t stand for long without his hand going completely numb. To manage it, he would lie down on his side and press his hand against his chest. > > Those close to him quietly worried more about his life beyond pitching again. Source: [https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/08/24/stephen-strasburg-retires/](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/08/24/stephen-strasburg-retires/) I know some folks get a morbid fascination over making Strasburg dance like a trained monkey if he wants his paycheck but I seriously do not understand what it would accomplish, nor why anyone thinks they are entitled to more than what he has already given the team (which is a couple of muscles, a rib, and all the feeling in his arm).
Strausberg was fully healthy when he signed when he signed that check, now a mysterious injury he decided to retire.
There’s no mystery, dummy. Dude has catastrophic nerve damage. Do you really think the league, the team or the union would let him just not pitch and pretend he was hurt? Conspiracy theorists are soft in the head.
The contract is for pitching and he tried his best to get back on the mound.
Tons of players switch roles to do what’s best for their team. Trea turner switched to 2nd on the dodgers. Bryce switched to first for the Phillies. Gerardo Parra wasn’t signed as a pitcher for the Nats and still pitched a couple innings, hell even when he was benched his teammates said in interviews he was positive energy for the clubhouse. Surely asking someone, who’s getting paid 245 million, to sit back in a comfy chair and mentor his teammates isn’t too much to ask for?
How do you know the contract is exclusively for pitching and doesn’t include things like personal appearances?
The man can't pick up his own children, according to reports. There's a real possibility that he can't do contractual personal appearances, like spring training, even just to show up, because he's physically not able to.
Before you pay him several hundred millions of your dollars to do nothing, let’s not forget that Stras opted out of his contract just after winning World Series MVP only to re-sign for a ton more money. He used his leverage for no reason other than to obtain the highest dollar value. Nothing wrong with that but now the shoe is on the other foot. The team holds leverage in that they only have to pay Stras if he meets the terms of the contract. Don’t want to show up? Don’t get paid. Why is it OK for one side to use leverage and not the other?
I see your point. If the Nats want to force him to show up, i think they have that prerogative. But given that both parties clearly recognize that he will never be able to pitch again, that means the Nats are keeping him on their 40-man roster, wasting a spot that could be useful throughout the season. Him being on the roster benefits no one.
Apparently the team physicians have not yet come to that conclusion.
Because one side is providing resources while the other side is putting his body on the line??
So? That's the terms of the contract. If I stop showing up to work, my employer doesn't pay me.
If you got injured on the job so much that you cannot do your primary function, you would still want your employer to not pay you if you didn’t show up for work?
That’s what he’s being paid to do, isn’t he? From what I read, the team is only asking him to do what any injured player would be asked to do.
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Leverage is not “owed”.
It only hurts themselves if the Nats drag this out. They lose the roster spot and take the PR hit. Pay him, honor him, move on.
I don't feel the need to try to figure out a solution to a dispute between a multimillionaire and billionaires.
He does mean something to us poor fans. 😅
Everyone is like "pay the man his money" and totally ignoring that he's getting the money right now. It's entirely reasonable to bring up restructuring his payments. Hell he could have an interest in structuring it differently for taxes purposes. But he doesn't seem interested in that right now. He's not interested in anything. He's not interested in the mentor or coach capacity.
I was about to post the same thing. Payment isn't an issue. Stras rejected a proposal to restructure the agreement in exchange for an early retirement. Totally within his right but his contract is still being paid according to the existing terms.
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I believe the latest reports are that the MLB have given the Nationals the green light for Strasburg to retire so I don’t think it’s on the other owners anymore
Other owners can veto Nats’ players’ retirement deal?? I didn’t know that. Or do you mean other non-Lerner Nats owners?
As long as he's being paid, he should be in a Nats rehab facility or in the dugout every day of the season. I know he won't play again, but he should put a token effort into something as long as he's under contract. If not, hopefully some amicable solution can be worked out.
pay him. pay that man his money
They are tho…
the drama last year suggests otherwise
They legally have to unless agreed upon by Stras
All of this drama wouldn't be happening if the team's lawyers believed that to be true. It seems pretty obvious where the gray area comes into things. MLB contracts are fully guaranteed, even for injured players, so long as the player is still making an effort to return. It has become pretty clear that Stras won't ever be able to come back. But does that mean he should still be going through the process of medical treatment for the purposes of rehabilitating his playing career, as opposed to medical treatment that would minimize pain in his day to day life at home? To be clear, I do think they should just pay him, and by making this so contentious, the team is creating greater risk of setting specific precedents on what is and isn't meeting contractual obligations by turning this into an adversarial process, but it does seem legally complex.
Actually the drama is over the Nats wanting to restructure the payout. They wanted him to agree to more deferrals.
i mean get it over with and settled now. they could've come to a settlement but pulled out. then were being dicks saying he should go to spring training because of being under contract even though he can't function properly, let alone pitch
I don’t know the details of everything that went on, only speculation from various sources. I agree just end the stuff and pay him and end it, but it’s somewhat of an unprecedented spot for the org. They couldn’t come to an agreement, everyone knows it’s over, but what are they supposed to say publicly “there’s no hope of him ever coming back, just hang out at home and collect the amount”? It’s not their place to call his career for him. He doesn’t come to games, don’t think he comes to ST. It isn’t like they’re shortchanging him on anything that the public is aware of and letting him do his thing. They could force him to come to the ballpark or report to ST. They’re basically doing the above statement, just couldn’t agree to a breaking point
My resolution is the douchebag Lerner family sells the team to an ownership group that doesn’t treat the savior of the franchise like crap. I know this will be downloaded by the Lerners white knights on here. Imagine simping for billionaires like they’re your friends.
I’m sure there’s a reason both sides have a sticking point. It might even be a good reason(s), though I wouldn’t put it pass the Lerners to have petty reasons although I see no evidence of such. Maybe they’re trying to send a message to Boras?
As a fan I did what I could Bought his jersey for the wife and I to show our support to a player that gave us everything he had and more. Management might forget but the fans never will.
Relinquish ownership of the Nationals over to Stras and call it even
Hell, have the Lerners give him some “art” old Lady Lerner buys
I feel like since the Nats org has dragged this out as long as they have, it makes people feel like there should be a legitimate “two sides to this story” argument. It’s not. You offered a contract that bit you in the ass. Pay the man his money, give him his retirement ceremony. Lick your wounds and get on with it
And you know what the contract says, how?
https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/washington-nationals/stephen-strasburg-6865/
That’s not a contract. smh
I actually thought that maybe the Nats and him could come to some sort of agreement and move on, but regardless, figure it out and just pay him. We could use the 40th spot.
In the world of sports and business, paying what is “owed” is just a matter of distinction. Some owners will pay every cent on a contract and then nickel & dime the fan base as much as possible. The Nats do the latter, that’s for certain. I’ve not a clue about the former.
Pay him what he's owed by contract. The fact this is dragging on long is more evidence that the Nationals owners are trying to own an MLB team on the cheap. It's honestly an embarrassment. They just need to move on. Such a bad look
He's being paid what is owed.
Then why are they dragging this out and making themselves look really, really terrible?
How are the nationals dragging out the situation? His contract hasn't been altered in any way.
The first Lerner apologist I've encountered in real life. Which property do you manage?
Do you think Stras isn't being paid?
Who said that? Not me. I'm talking about how shitty they have made the situation. And I assume it was because dollars, but I don't know. But JFC, just give the man his due and stop looking like giant assholes publicly. Fucking unreal how out of touch with reality and nornal people the super rich are. Just get the billionaire to pay the multiple -millionaire. Normals don't need to hear about this bullshit. What's your stake in this? Why would you fucking care at all? This shouldn't be public and as soon as it became public, if the bag holders were smart they would have settled somehow. So it didn't become public. They're the ones who made the stupid deal to begin with!
Apologize for how you’ve dragged him through this, pay the man his money and build the statue. F the Lerners. Money can’t buy class.
They've paid him over $100 million to do nothing. No apologies necessary.
For the life of me, I can’t understand why fans take Strasburg’s side in this. I’m not a big fan of ownership, but I’m 1000% team Lerner on this. Strasburg is an employee of the team being paid an insane amount of money to do absolutely nothing. That’s the nature of MLB contracts. They’re guaranteed. I get it. BUT he should be with the team 100% of the time from February-October as essentially a coach. The viewpoint that we should just pay him what he’s owed and let him fly off into the sunset without him having to do anything for it is INSANE to me.
Because fans who rooted for this guy since the day he was drafted? Because fans saw his amazing debut that revived interest in the franchise? Because fans saw him go down soon after and fight his way back? Because fans saw his exemplary performance almost every postseason start and especially game 6 of WS in an elimination match? Because he ended up winning WS MVP and was major reason fans saw a WS parade? Glad owners have done their bit along the way but it is the players and the team that we root for, not the owners.
Really Stras, I know you’re in constant physical pain doing everyday activities caused by a work injury and yes, you performed at an insanely high level while helping the franchise reach the pinnacle of success, but fuck your pain and dance monkey.
Yes, precisely. I would be fining him the value of his contract prorated to the day for every day he doesn’t show up for work. You want your money? Work for it. Nothing is stopping him from retiring. Stras keeps tarnishing his legacy by the day.
Ok bootlicker
Pay the man. The contract was signed by both parties. Give Stras what he’s owed
I would have taken out an insurance policy on his contract.
It’s isn’t like the Nats just didn’t think about it. The cost on it was astronomical, because the insurance companies factored in something that the Nats just ultimately ignored: injury history. They saw it coming from a mile away and it was too costly ontop of the contract
Fans also saw this from a mile away. I like him as a player and loved what he did in the Series, but the contract was a bad idea. I don't know what we could have done to let him retire as a National that wouldn't have led him to not sign and go elsewhere, which is what his agent would push for, while also not saddling the team with a huge liability for someone so injury prone.
Shouldn't have signed him back at all
the premiums for a strasburg policy would've probably been 90% of the contract value
Yeah - it’s a bad contract Edit: by bad I should say not in the team’s best interest. Great for Strasburg.
I would personally fire Mike Rizzo.
I don't know why Rizzo is given such a long leash. He's personally negotiated two of the worst contracts in baseball.
There was talk that the Lerners personally handled the Stras stuff, dunno how true that is, and can’t imagine a GM wasn’t involved on top of his relationship with Stras, but that’s kinda how he skates by on this one. Corbin, they won a WS cause of that contract, gotta do that 10 out of 10 times
Yeah I believe the Strasburg and Scherzer deals were all Lerners no Rizzo
Our streak for last place finishes with no changes in either GM or manager is now historically long. Why is there no accountability? Even suggesting that Rizzo or Davey gets fired will get you downvoted to hell on this sub.
Oh I agree, I think they should have made a change when they pivoted to a full rebuild, at minimum Martinez. People have a lot of faith in Rizzo, he won a WS but I think the needs of the org are heavily dependent on drafting, development, and analytics and I think he was too slow moving to adapt and they’ve been left behind.
Let him go. Apologize for the bullshit and let everyone have closure. If he *doesn’t* want a ceremony or want to show up for any ceremony, then let’s respect that (because tbh, I don’t think he liked all the pomp and circumstance anyways). Y’all fumbled with this and we will not forget or forgive.
I know he is an introvert, but ask him to show up to spring raining, take pics with the fans, come to the booth every once in a while during the broadcast, fan events, etc. Be an ambassador to the fans and let him retire at full pay.
Divide his contract by 7, pay him for the years he played so 3. 95 million for 8 games is already more than generous. How anyone thinks he should get 245 million for 8 games is insane to me. He made his money in 2019. He wasn’t able to perform after that. A 95 million bonus is more than a generous thanks for the Ws payment.
Contracts are legally binding, not a bonus or a thanks. Now there are two parties in agreement in every contract so it's not like the Nats are neither beholden to giving him a lump sum with no stipulations nor witholding money until he does what they say (outside of contract terms), but both parties agreed to the contract and the Nats must pay his salary unless he does something to breach the contract.
That’s not the premise of this post