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Longtime Washington Nationals Ace Will Likely Appear at Spring Training, But Won't Play

Washington Nationals leadership says that longtime ace Stephen Strasburg will likely appear at spring training and serve as a veteran mentor, but he won't play. Strasburg is essentially retired but remains on the roster because of some financial issues.

Brady Farkas

Longtime Washington Nationals Ace Will Likely Appear at Spring Training, But Won't Play
Longtime Washington Nationals Ace Will Likely Appear at Spring Training, But Won't Play /
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Longtime Washington Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg will likely appear at spring training this year, but he won't play. Instead, he'll serve as a veteran mentor to young pitchers.

Per Andrew Golden on social media:

Mike Rizzo just talked to us: 

- The team doesn't plan to do any more MLB deals, but there could be more minor league deals w/NRIs. 

- Strasburg isn't here, but Rizzo expects him to come and "participate" by helping young guys on the staff since he can't participate physically.

The issue surrounding Strasburg is complicated. He can't pitch and won't ever pitch again, but his contract status is the reason why he hasn't officially retired. He's still owed $105 million over three years and he wants to collect as much of that as possible. The Nationals would likely want to get some of that money back since Strasburg hasn't been able to play for nearly all of that contract. If the two sides come to a financial resolution, then Strasburg could retire, but if they can't, he can just stay on the roster and eventually be put on the injured list.

The righty has been beset by injuries and has only throw 31.1 innings over the last four seasons. He signed a seven-year contract after the 2019 season.

One of the most anticipated careers of the last 15 years, Strasburg largely lived up to the hype. He was a three-time All-Star who went 113-62 with a lifetime 3.24 ERA. He made at least 22 starts every year from 2012-2019, led the league in wins in 2019 and helped the Nationals win the 2019 World Series.

He's also the only player in baseball history to do this, per @OptaSTATS:

Stephen Strasburg is the only major leaguer to be drafted first overall and win World Series MVP.

No. 1 Draft Picks to.....

Win World Series MVP 1

Win Conn Smythe Trophy 5

Win Super Bowl MVP 6

Win NBA Finals MVP 8

There is a lot of pressure that comes with being the top overall pick in a draft and Strasburg was able to rise on the biggest stage. In that 2019 World Series against the Houston Astros, he went 2-0 with a 2.51 ERA over 14.1 innings. He registered 14 strikeouts in the series.

The 35-year-old amassed 1,723 strikeouts in his career and made 247 starts.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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