About two weeks ago, news broke 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 -- possibly by retiring his number -- at some point in the future. The press conference was expected to happen this coming Saturday.
For now, though, things have been delayed, according to reports from The Athletic and Washingon Post. The Post notes that the two sides are still "hammering out details" and that everything is still expected to happen eventually.
Strasburgh's seven-year, $245 million deal was set to run through 2026, but teams often work around financial details in situations like this, such as "special adviser" roles in the front office that still draw salary, though not the full amount.
The Nationals approached Strasburg about the retirement and paying him the full amount of salary left on his contract, reports The Athletic, but now the team reportedly wants to alter the terms.
This would explain the postponed press conference. It's a snag that'll very likely be worked through soon enough.
A day after this news broke, Nationals owner/managing partner Mark Lerner released the following statement:
"Stephen Strasburg is and always will be an important part of the Washington Nationals franchise. We support him in any decision he makes and will ensure that he receives what is due to him.
"It is regrettable that private discussions have been made public through anonymous sources attempting to negotiate through the media. While we have been following the process required by the collective bargaining agreement, behind-the-scenes preparations for a press conference had begun internally. However, no such event was ever confirmed by the team or promoted publicly. It is unfortunate that external leaks in the press have mischaracterized these events.
"It is our hope that ongoing conversations remain private out of respect for the individuals involved. Until then, we look forward to seeing Stephen when we report to spring training."
The main takeaway is that the press conference won't happen this Saturday but there's every expectation that Strasburg will retire, the Nats will hold a press conference to announce it and then he'll be honored with a number retirement -- maybe as soon as next season. Injuries prevented a full, Hall of Fame, career for Strasburg, but he left an enduring legacy with the Nationals.
