The Nationals announced today that they have reinstated Stephen Strasburg from the 10-day injured list. Left-hander Sam Clay was optioned to create space for him on the active roster.
It’s been a long journey for the righty, who will take the ball for Washington’s game against the Marlins tonight. This will be his first time on a big league mound in over a year, as his last appearance was June 1 of last season. He would eventually undergo surgery to correct thoracic outlet syndrome, a procedure he has been working back from ever since.
A lot has changed for the Nationals between Strasburg’s last start and tonight’s game. At the time of the former game, the Nats still had many of their 2019 World Series-winning players, such as Trea Turner, Max Scherzer and Yan Gomes, in addition to many other subsequently-added veterans. Just about any player that was healthy and valuable and not named Juan Soto was traded at last year’s deadline, however, leaving the team with a roster primarily composed of young and unproven players, to which they eventually added veterans on short-term deals.
The club is now clearly in a retooling year, currently sporting a 21-37 record that has them firmly planted in the NL East basement, five games behind the fourth-place Marlins and just barely ahead of the Reds for the worst record in the National League. That means that Strasburg’s performance won’t need to be scrutinized too closely in the short term, though the long-term implications will be important. Strasburg is making $35MM this year and each of the next four years (though some of the money will be deferred.)
The Nats are hoping for a quick turnaround and a return to competition in the coming years, especially with Soto currently slated to hit free agency after the 2024 campaign. Soto’s already making over $17MM this year and will only see that number go up over the next couple of seasons as he goes through arbitration again. With Patrick Corbin also due to make a total of around $60MM over the next couple of years, the team will be spending a big chunk of its payroll on those three players, making it all the more important for Strasburg to get back to his old self. He’s pitched only total 26 2/3 innings over the past three seasons but was excellent in 2019, throwing 209 frames of 3.32 ERA ball, before throwing 36 1/3 more in the postseason with a 1.98 ERA, being an instrumental part of the franchise earning its first ever World Series trophy.
And in other news, Angel Hernandez has refiled his lawsuit against MLB. The eyes don’t lie: Angel Hernandez is a terrible umpire, year after year.
Ray Charles would have done a better job umpiring than Angel Hernandez. He is the worst and now MLB had to make him a crew chief because he is suing.
I feel like he’d say ‘What’s up, Juan?’
Where’d everyone go?
I will never forget watching his first start live. The nastiest stuff I’ve ever seen to this day. He was unbelievable when he first came up
Him vs. Matt Harvey used to be a marquee matchup
I hope he can stay healthy. Another significant injury could spell the end of his career.
Hey, speaking of Juan Soto, what’s up with all the low batting averages this year? I know BA isn’t considered critical any more, but when even guys like Soto are hitting .220 something’s wrong. Shifts aren’t new & can’t blame the ball…
It is the ball. Players have been outspoken about since the first two weeks of the season.
The average slash line this year is .240/.311/.388.
Thanks Creature. How does this compare with previous seasons, because at least to me, it seems lower across the board this year. But I could be mistaken.
There’s something definitely off with the balls. When you listen to balls off the bats, the torque doesn’t match the result of the contact. Too many balls have been hit with good torque explosion, but have traveled with less velocity and shorter distance than when hit in other years. When you hit the ball to all fields like Soto does, it’s going to hurt when you go opposite field. So many other unfortunate results of the change in torque explosion versus result.
2022: .240/.311/.388. OPS .699
2021: .244/.317/.411 OPS .728
2020: .245/.322/418 OPS .740
2019: .252/.323/.435 OPS .758
Offense as a whole is tanking. It’s worse than 2014 (.251/.314/.386 OPS .700) which was a 20 year low.
Say what you want batting average means something. You can come up with all these ridiculous metrics all day but the game hasn’t changed. OBP has been around a long time but if you don’t hit once in a while and get on base you aren’t doing your job. I wish people would stop trying to make things more than what they are.
This is such a difficult injury to come back from. Hopefully he can defy the odds.
One day GM’s might figure out that it’s not a good idea to give massive contracts to pitchers in their 30’s. Did they choose Strasburg over Harper?
nah, instead of rendon
Here is what I figure happened. Someone said they couldn’t extend Bryce Harper because they wanted that money to extend Stephen Strasburg the following offseason. If they had let Harper and Strasburg both walk, they could have signed two very good starting pitchers. Then they wouldn’t have a team ERA of well over five. i blame Mike Rizzo for this. I know they won a World Series but they should have done much better in October several other years. This was because they had crappy managers.There was Davey Johnson, whose one Series win was greatly aided by a limping Bill Buckner. He also ruined Dwight Gooden’s career, There were also Matt Williams and Johnnie Baker. Keith Law wrote a book called Smart Baseball. He wrote just before his book was going to be printed, the Nationals had inexplicably hired Johnnie.
It was a bad contract on both length and salary, but not nearly as bad as some think. From 2012-2019, 8 years, he ranked #7 in fWAR. At a minimum of 1000 IPs, he was #3 in xFIP. And in those 8 years, he never had less than 127 IPs.
So he deserved money, but to expect him to stay healthy thru age 37 seems like a fantasy. That said, if I were the RS, and he looked recovered from the TOS, I’d still ask Rizzo how much the Nats would be interested in chipping in.
I don’t know why you say the contract was not nearly as bad as some think and then bring up what happened before the contract. How many innings has he pitched 2020?
Who let the dogs out?!
Strasburg: Woof Woof Woof Woof
Who let the dogs out?!
Chris Davis: Wood Woof Woof Woof
Who let the dogs out?!
Jacoby Ellsbury: Woof Woof Woof Woof
Who let the dogs out?!
Jed Lowrie: Woof Woof Woof Woof
Who let the dogs out?!
Aaron Hicks: Woof Woof Woof Woof
You forgot to mention some Mets in your barking.
Jed Lowrie was a total financial bust as a Met
@Marlinsfanbase I added Jed Lowrie but I could have also added Cespedes and Betances
You forgot Jason Bay
Mike Hampton’s contract was pretty bad too
If you are a baseball fan, you have to root for him, at least when he’s not pitching against your team. Supremely talented and max effort.
Strasburg got his behind handed to him tonight. If you are a Nats fan that is not what you were hoping for.
Game 1 of his return. Some very bright spots. Some not so bright. His next start will be better. I’d bet on it.
The 1st was a matter of a couple of cheap hits. In the 2nd-4th, I think he had 5Ks, a walk, and a HBP. The ball never left the infield. He might’ve been gassed by the 5th.
Of course, he was facing the Marlins, who don’t have a powerhouse offense. It also helps that we hit Oakland and LAA at a very opportune time.
At least they only owe him a billion more dollars to be awful.