Months ago on draft day the Nationals had one of two options, either they draft the best player available and how to work out the contract demands of Satan, aka Scott Boras, or they could simply admit immediate defeat and opt to draft an eminently more signable player. The Nationals opted to man up and draft Stephen Strasberg and his 100 mph flames and try to work out a deal with the devil. Tonight at midnight the clock will strike and we will have found out whether Nationals were at all serious on draft day when they chose Strasberg or if they just fumbled away another potential key component to their success.The options for the Nationals right now are to either shell out the record breaking contract which Boras demands, or sit back forego this years draft pick and draft twice at the top of the draft next season. Unfortunately thanks to a rule which makes the Nationals inelligible to draft Strasberg again next season their option of getting the best pitching prospect potentially of all time ends tonight.
For Strasburg the options are either compromise a little bit and take on what will, regardless of the final million dollar total, set him up for life or he could sit around for a year making chump change in some independent league or Japan and hope that next years draft treats him more kindly. I understand that Boras has done this tons of times with his clients and for some it has worked out (Jared Weaver) and for others it failed miserably (Matt Harrington). But why risk it if your Strasberg and you're already guaranteed millions upon millions of dollars? Just upon the chance that you can get more, maybe, the next season?
Tonight we shall see if the Nationals were serious on draft day and if Strasberg is all about baseball or all about money. At some point in time you would hope that as a 22 year old, the largest draft contract in the history of baseball would be enough, but with Scott Boras as your agent you never know.
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