Brett Favre was so inspired by Strasburgs signing, he had to do it too

Written by William Yoder

Tuesday, 18 August 2009 10:49

stephen-strasburg-scott-boras
I thought before we continued with the season we could just do a quick review of last night so we can get al the facts and onions in one place.

Facts:

-Stephen Strasburg signed a 4-year deal for $15.1 million

-Strasburg received a $7.5 million signing bonus

-Strasburg’s pay increments will be as follows”

2009: $400 K 2010: $2 Million 2011: $2.5 Million 2012: $3 Million

-The deal was signed at 11:58:43 P.M prompting Kasten to say, “People thought it would take to the last minute. We didn’t even need that last minute.”

-Other top picks who signed:

No. 2 Dustin Ackley $7.5 million
No. 3 Donovan Tate $3.25 million
No. 9 Jacob Turner $5.5 million
No. 13 Grant Green $2.75 million

-Strasburg wont pitch until 2010.

-Aaron Crow still unsigned.

Opinion:

Jeff Passan says Strasburg needs to be Ken Griffey Jr:

“He cannot fail, Good is unacceptable. Anything short of trancendence and he’s just another mistake on the Washington Nationals’ log that, this year alone, reads like Dead Franchise Scrolls.”

Hall of Famer Peter Gammons says that Strasburg and the Nats needed each other:

“As the Stephen Strasburg negotiations wore down toward the Monday deadline (midnight ET), it started to become as political as health care. It is, after all, Washington, and so as Scott Boras stuck to his pledge to privatize the bargaining, the Nationals campaigned, in case they cannot come to an agreement.”

WaPo’s Thomas Boswell wrote that Strasburg is Washington’s redemption:

“No 21-year-old deserves such responsibility; but Strasburg has put the Nats squarely on baseball's map, on the list of can't-miss attractions in the game that must be seen. Does he really throw 100-102 mph with command? Or is that partly scouts' mythology? Is his 93-mph slider really his best pitch, so sharp it actually seems to hit something in mid-air and deflect? And is Nats interim general manager Mike Rizzo correct when he says what sets Strasburg apart is not just his stuff but ‘a fierceness?”

Dan Steinberg at D.C Sports Bog talks with Fred Smoot and the Skins about the deal:

"I think that's a great deal," Smoot said. "We actually came out on top with him."  "He finally signed?" Santana Moss asked as he slid into the tub. "Why was he sitting out so long?"

"Because they wouldn't pay him that money," Smoot explained. "He wanted No. 1 pick money…" 

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Comments (6) Add Comment

Mechanics
written by Bryce from Arlington, August 18, 2009

Willy,

I'm interested to hear what you think of Strasburg's mechanics, especially with relation to whether he's going to injure his arm or not at some point down the road.

The first time I watched him pitch, I thought he looked smooth and natural. Now, after looking at his mechanics more thoroughly, I'm getting worried that he's another train wreck a la Mark Prior and others. Seriously, I think the Nationals might have made a very costly mistake by investing so much in him.

What's your take?

...
written by fishtoprecords, August 18, 2009

When do the Nats have to put him on the 40 man roster. I assume that the contract is a "guarenteed Major League" deal, which means on the 40 man roster with Sept callups. This counts for vesting, retirement, "options to the minors" etc

I'm not clear on that
written by Yard Yoder, August 18, 2009

But from what I gather he will be on the 40 man roster and immediately optioned to the minors. This was part of boras's strategy, the less options the club has on him the quicker he can be a permanent big leaguer and the quicker he can be a free agent.

He is also tradeable next july.

mechanics
written by Yard Yoder, August 18, 2009

From everything I have read and observed, his mechanics look flawless. That is the same thing they said about Prior however.

Mechanics are an odd thing. If you look at Ross Detwiler, who came up with poor mechanics, they were immediately corrected and as a result he struggled. When he went back to his old mechanics he succeeded.

In terms of injury..There's no way to tell. But think of it this way, it's no different than signing a major league to a 4 year 15 million dollar deal, which really isn't that much. It's not nearly as bad as 2 years for 10 million for Dimitri Young!

Not on the 40 man today
written by fishtoprecords, August 19, 2009

I just checked, and Strasbug is not currently on the Nat's 40 man roster. I don't think this is a big deal, as I'm sure it is a "major league contract" with the usual three manditory Sept callups. They probably have some period of slosh before they need to explicitly put him on the official 40 man.