About two weeks ago it was announced that Nationals starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg was retiring after 13 years as a player. There will be a press conference to make the announcement official, and then the Nationals are expected to honor him at some point in the future – possibly by retiring his number. The press conference was scheduled to take place next Saturday.
However, according to reports, the matter has been delayed for now The athlete and Washington Post. The Post notes that the two sides are still “working out the details” and that everything is still expected to happen at some point.
Strasburgh’s seven-year, $245 million contract was supposed to run through 2026, but in situations like this, teams often work around financial details, such as “special advisor” roles in the front office that still draw salary, although not the full amount .
The Nationals approached Strasburg about retiring him and paying him the full salary of his contract. reports The Athleticbut now the team reportedly wants to change the conditions.
This would explain the postponed press conference. It’s a problem that will most likely be resolved soon.
A day after the news broke, Mark Lerner, owner and managing partner of the Nationals, released the following statement:
“Stephen Strasburg is and will continue to be an important part of the Washington Nationals franchise. We support him in every decision he makes and will ensure he gets what he deserves.”
“It is unfortunate that private discussions were made public by anonymous sources who attempted to negotiate through the media. While we were following the process required by the collective agreement, preparations for a press conference had begun internally behind the scenes. However.”, no such event was ever confirmed or publicly advertised by the team. It is unfortunate that external leaks in the press have misrepresented these events.
“We hope that ongoing conversations remain private out of respect for the people involved. Until then, we look forward to seeing Stephen when we report to spring training.”
The most important takeaway is that the press conference will not take place this Saturday, but there is full expectation that Strasburg will retire. The Nats will hold a press conference to announce it, and then he will be honored with a retired number – perhaps as soon as next season. Injuries prevented a full Hall of Fame career for Strasburg, but he left a lasting legacy with the Nationals.