While the level of interest isn’t entirely clear, the Phillies are at least considering a move for veteran starter Stephen Strasburg, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter). The organization is said to be “looking at” plucking a star from the division-rival Nationals for a second consecutive winter.
There are many other possibilities for Strasburg, who wrapped up an outstanding (and rather redemptive) season in D.C. before opting out of his contract in favor of the open market. As Heyman notes, there’s still a sense that Strasburg could well line up again with the Nats. But many of the game’s highest-spending organizations have already shown interest as well.
Strasburg would be a big addition to any rotation, but he’d be of particular import to a Phillies staff that was filled with struggles last year. Like many other teams, the Phils are looking both for impact and reliability. Stras has consistently delivered the former … at least, when healthy. Concerns with his durability are in some regards overstated. He’s fresh off of a dominant and complete season at 31 years of age. Since returning from Tommy John surgery, Strasburg has averaged 28 starts and 168 innings annually (including his infamous 2012 shutdown campaign).
While the Phillies have indicated trepidation at coughing up draft compensation to add a free agent, that’s simply the requisite ante to sit at the high-stakes table. Strasburg is a good enough player that teams can mostly ignore the lost draft capital. That’s particularly true now that he has thoroughly erased any doubts (as unjustified as they were in the first place) over his big-game capabilities. Recently crowned the World Series MVP, Strasburg has passed every test thrown at him in the postseason with flying colors. In 55 1/3 career playoff frames, he owns a sparkling 1.46 ERA with 11.5 K/9 and 1.3 BB/9.
Harper and Strasburg reunion
RENDON
Rendon and Cole
Strasburg is an expensive GIMP.
sorry, we all forgot anyone who is noted as a serious Phils target is a gimp
I won’t be calling Rendon or Cole a GIMP.
Because they’re not.
expensive, yes. Gimp? Really? Gimping his way to WS MVP, while you sit at your keyboard cry cry crying! Hah! You discredit yourself.
in other words “we arent at all, just want to make the Braves sweat a bit”
Hah! I bet they are. They’re probably looking at a picture of him or something.
Haha, came for this, leaving happy. The quotes around “looking at” made me think they were just sitting there staring at him.
Missed the boat on a year of Hamels. They need to overpay for Cole, Wheeler, MadBum or Stras. They really need at least 1 of them to have any chance of competing next year. They also need another starter to eat up innings.
A healthy Strasburg – never a given – is maybe 80% of Gerrit Cole.
The other two aren’t even close to half, not even together.
“overpay” isnt what id use here. you have to pay more, but if we are assuming G. Cole maxes out at 30 million a year, Stras will probably be a significantly better value than Hamels. no respect to Cole and all, but he did not look nearly as good in the second half, and 18 mil for him is not as good a value as low-mid 20s for Stras.
Darkside – G. Cole isn’t going to max out at $30MM a year. More like $35, $36MM a year.
This feels like something that gets put out there because the Wheeler camp got a little too aggressive with their asking price.
It’s just the national media doing what they do for the team that signed Bryce Harper.
Goes with the territory.
Gotta keep that BABY Harper happy. Couldn’t win with him before…. no wonder a teammate wanted to kick his _ _ _ !
Harper had nothing to do with why the Phillies stunk
More people wanted to fight Papelbon than Harper. Harper is genuinely liked according to interviews from Nats and Phils, but believe whatever narrative you want.
I love Papelbon.
Phillies all time Saves leader.
“I love Papelbon.
Phillies all time Saves leader.”
I’m sure you’re a similar walk of life.
Say what ya want about Harper,but as a Phillies fan,im happy to have him.Kinda scary to think about how bad the team would’ve been without him and Realmuto.
I don’t get the Harper hate at all. He bugged me a bit when he was 19-20 and brash but he’s matured into a decent human being and a solid competitor. He didn’t have his top year last year but it was still a respectable one. As amk3510 says, he wasn’t the reason the Phillies were average last year.
You really think the Philleis fans are going to accept you bashing Harper? So all of the other fan bases get a chuckle at the Nats winning it all after he left. Phils fans to Harper are like the Knicks fans were to Carmelo Anthony. So what if so many managers/coaches get fired, rosters get overhauled multiple times while those players are there, and the team never wins, it’s never them that is the problem. And their teammates that are asked on camera about them always like them.
Nats had a pretty good in-house replacement for Harper in Soto.They also improved their catching,added Dozier and Corbin,and got full seasons out of Eaton and Robles.They didn’t just sit on their hands after Harper left.And they started slow and got hot in the end.They were a bottom feeder before Harper arrived.He’s still a big reason why they’ve gotten to where they are.
Or their old teammates look at you like you’re the dumbest person in the world when you act as though Harper was a problem. But you do you MarlinMan
MarlinsFanBase
You have a blinkered view of the situations in Philly and DC. Harper moving towns was only one piece of what changed. The Nats made several other moves AND Soto developed tremendously well. So open your eyes and try some intellectual honesty for a change.
They’ll end up overpaying for Wheeler and miss the playoffs again
This seems likely, but I’d love to see a Nola/Wheeler 1/2 punch.
Better than sitting on their hands and doing nothing, which is probably what the alternative would be. MadBum and Keuchel are likely to go for overpays as well in this market…
Wheeler is hot garbage.
If Middleton wasn’t a criminal he’d throw money at Gerrit Cole and Rendon until they said yes.
you have a real Casey’s Partner vibe to you.
Pinkerton….. nailed it!
I’m looking at some super hot chick that clearly is looking for a Sugar Daddy. I wonder if I can land her?
How is this an article moments after the Braves sign Hamels?
It probably has more to do with Philly/Wheeler negotiations than Hamels signing with the Braves. Philly is either bluffing OR out of the Wheeler talks by looking at Strasburg.
Harper is a me guy- doesn’t make for a great dressing room
I think that’s a dated impression. He’s grown up into a decent human being while still being a solid competitor. He didn’t quite have the year he would’ve liked last year, but he kept competing. He’ll be at it again next year, too.
Looking at him re-sign with the Nats
I never trust guys that perform at higher levels than before in a walk-year/opt-out year. Not saying Strasburg isn’t an excellent pitcher, but he’s going to be 32, just threw more innings than ever, has decreased velocity and is now looking to better $100 million? That’s fine, but any team that gives this guy more than 4-years is throwing $ down a black hole. Hell, I wouldn’t offer more than 4. Risk is too great with pitchers.
Cole is another risk, especially since he’ll be looking for a much longer deal. This guy just threw 260+ innings and K’d over 360 batters ( including playoffs ). That’s a ton of milage in 1 season. You could see he was running on fumes in the WS. Last couple of years of a 7-year deal for this guy is going to be ugly.
Cole was absolutely lights out prior to his injury. He was as good as any NL pitcher up to the point he strained his oblique. Forced him to change his mechanics, which led to arm fatigue. He is a great value for one year and no draft choice forfeiture.
Von,
At least Papelbon is a winner . Harper is still a loser likely wont ever win a title!!! Remember where you heard it first. He’s a J/A!
Not just “better then $100MM” for Stras, I’ve been reading talk of upwards of $200MM!!! I agree with you, southpaw, Stras’s numbers should be closer to the Wheeler range. Maybe 4/$125MM, somewhat front-loaded.
Any team that gives Strasburg over $115 – 125 million is insane. But, pitching is so thin around MLB, that’s what you get. Owners keep costing themselves money by agreeing to expansion. If they ever expand again, good players will only get more expensive.
If Wheeler ends up with the Phillies, it would be double the laughs. 1) Mets fans saying that he wasn’t any good any way (after years of calling him an “Ace”), and 2) he continuing to be a #3/#4 that people expect to be an Ace because of his tools instead of performance…and the Phillies paying $100 million for it.
With the exception of the Royals, Marlins and Orioles, what other teams are not “looking at” Strasburg? Only way he signs with Philly is with a huge overpay.
In this market, he’s going to get a huge overpay wherever he goes.
I’d take a Harper on my team any day and still wish the Braves could have pulled it off and been set with a bomber in RF for 7-10 years.
Hamels takes over Kuechels spot but still a lot of work to do on the rotation, need an equal to soroka on the staff to make any postseason noise or instill any amount of fear.
No faith in nuke as a starter and a glaring hole at 3b yet. If going into spring training relying on camargo/riley color me worried.
I say make a trade of folty/camargo/contreras or folty/riley/langliers for a missing link in the rotation, bring back donaldson, and call it an offseason.
I don’t see Strasburg going to a team with Harper on it. Pitchers and position players kind of stay in their own world, but I don’t think there is any love lost between the two.
what are you trying to say? “stay in their own world”
Pitchers and position players don’t usually hang out. The two groups usually stay in their own clicks. Not 100%, but it is just natural. So what I’m saying is that although Stras would probably rather not deal with all the stuff that surrounds Harper again, it possibly isn’t as big a deal as if they were in the same circle and had to interact more.
All this speculation from haters of Harper. You don’t know jack. As fans we disliked him in DC because he was good and enigmatic. He showed last season to be a good person and hard working player. Happy to have him in Philly!!
?
I guess Wheeler looked better.