SAN DIEGO _ The Washington Nationals, weeks removed from winning their first World Series title, arrived at baseball's winter meetings Sunday facing crucial decisions. Stephen Strasburg and Anthony Rendon, two of their best players, were free agents. Clubs, including the Dodgers, were in pursuit and the prices would be high. Last week, owner Mark Lerner said the team would pay only one.
If that's the case, it didn't take long for the Nationals to make their pick. Strasburg and the club agreed to a record-setting seven-year, $245-million deal Monday, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. The contract, which reportedly includes deferred money with interest, features the highest average annual value for a pitcher in league history, though Gerrit Cole is expected to top the mark as early as this week.
The agreement means Rendon's days in Washington are likely over. The Dodgers are interested and have met with the third baseman, who is coming off his best season. Other teams reportedly interested include the Texas Rangers and Philadelphia Phillies.
Rendon reportedly declined a seven-year contract offer worth between $210 million and $215 million from the Nationals at the end of the regular season. He is expected to attract a richer deal in the open market.
Strasburg was considered the second-best starting pitcher on the market behind Cole, whom the Angels, Dodgers and New York Yankees are pursuing. Cole and Strasburg share the same agent, Scott Boras.
The Nationals were thought to be the favorites to re-sign Strasburg all along after he opted out of his contract with four years and $100 million remaining. He had met with the Dodgers and Angels. Other reported suitors included the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies.
Washington drafted Strasburg, a San Diego native, out of San Diego State with the No. 1 pick in 2009, when he was considered one of the best prospects in history, and watched him become the ace they anticipated after battling injuries and overcoming Tommy John surgery.
He went 18-6 with a 3.32 earned-run average and 251 strikeouts during the 2019 regular season. He peaked in the playoffs, becoming the first pitcher to go 5-0 in a postseason while compiling a 1.98 ERA with 47 strikeouts and four walks in 36? innings. He was named World Series MVP as Washington beat the Houston Astros to win the championship in seven games. In two postseason starts against the Dodgers, he allowed four runs in 12 innings with 17 strikeouts to one walk.
The postseason run made opting out of his contract an easy decision. He tested the market, meeting with the Dodgers and Yankees, but the Nationals had the inside track all along and made their move.
