Washington Nationals

Add the Philadelphia Phillies to the ever-growing list of teams willing to back up the Brinks truck for Stephen Strasburg.

Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported the Phillies are among the handful of teams considered contenders for the reigning World Series MVP. The New York Yankees, Washington Nationals, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres are also in the mix. The Nationals are currently seen as favorites to re-sign their ace as they look for a repeat championship.

Strasburg, 31, is represented by Scott Boras, who is notorious for drawing out the free-agency process for his players to land the largest possible deal. It's unlikely we're nearing any type of conclusion in the race for Strasburg, whose transcendence in the 2019 postseason probably made him tens of millions of dollars.

The righty compiled a 5-0 record with a 1.98 ERA and 0.94 WHIP, striking out 47 batters in 36.1 innings on his way to winning the World Series MVP. His career 1.46 ERA in the postseason is one of the lowest for a starting pitcher in MLB history.

The Yankees, in desperate need of an ace to fortify their rotation, are seen as major players in the race for Strasburg and Gerrit Cole. Heyman reported the Yankees are "all in" on Cole after meeting with him this week and are also set to have a meeting with Strasburg on Wednesday.

The Phillies were among the most aggressive teams in baseball last offseason, inking Bryce Harper to a $330 million contract while also signing Andrew McCutchen and David Robertson and trading for J.T. Realmuto and Jean Segura. The result was a disappointing 81-81 campaign.

Signing Strasburg would give the Phillies an ace they've been lacking—their Jake Arrieta signing has not quite gone as planned—while also striking down a divisional foe. ESPN's Buster Olney reported the Phillies are seen as the favorites to land righty Zack Wheeler, who is among the starters on the market a step below Strasburg and Cole. 

If the Phillies land Wheeler, that might take them out of the Strasburg sweepstakes. 

Former Washington Nationals outfielder Gerardo Parra reached an agreement Wednesday with the Yomiuri Giants of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball league on a free-agent contract.

ESPN reported the signing. Financial details of the deal weren't immediately released.

Parra became a fan favorite after signing with Washington in May. Although he was relegated to a limited role as the team's fourth outfielder, his use of the song "Baby Shark" as his walk-up music became a staple of the Nats' run to the 2019 World Series championship.

The 32-year-old Venezuela native also made stops with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Milwaukee Brewers, Baltimore Orioles, Colorado Rockies and San Francisco Giants across 11 MLB seasons.

Parra showcased his versatility by appearing at seven different positions, including pitcher, in 89 games for the Nationals.

He owns a solid .276/.323/.404 career triple-slash line with 88 home runs and 96 stolen bases in 1,466 appearances. He also won the Gold Glove Award for his defense in 2011 and 2013 with the D-Backs.

Yomiuri won the Central League pennant this year before getting swept by the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in the 2019 Japan Series.

Heading into the World Series against the Houston Astros, the Washington Nationals took extra precautions to protect themselves against possible sign-stealing.

Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post broke down what Nationals pitchers and catchers did during the Fall Classic:

"First, each pitcher had to have his own set of signs, and catchers Yan Gomes and Kurt Suzuki had to be familiar with each one. So the staff printed out cards with the codes and had them laminated. The catchers could have them in their wristbands, a la an NFL quarterback with play calls strapped to his forearm, and the pitchers would have them in their caps. Each pitcher had five sets of signs, and they could change them from game to game—or even batter to batter, if necessary. Using the set labeled No. 2, but worried the Astros were catching on? The pitcher could signal to the catcher to move to set No. 3. ...

"Next came the way the Nats employed their signs, which was nontraditional. Rather than just use, say, the second sign the catcher put down, the Nats might 'chase the two.' That meant the pitcher would watch for the catcher to put two fingers down, and then throw the pitch that corresponded to the following sign. Or they could play 'outs plus one.' So if there was one out, the pitch would be the second sign the catcher put down. If there were no outs, it would be the first sign. 'Strikes plus one' worked the same way."

Nationals pitching coach Paul Menhart told Svrluga the plan was their "best way to counteract anything that might have been going on."

Svrluga reported the Nationals also developed more elaborate signs for their playoff matchups against the Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals to protect themselves.

"It was mainly because we thought we had heard some whistling," Menhart said. "Did we really hear it? Whether you do or you don't, just to put those thoughts in our minds is dangerous. So we just said, 'Let's nip this now.'"

While stealing signs has been a part of Major League Baseball for decades, the Astros reportedly took the tactic to new heights in their attempts to gain an advantage over the opposition.

Former Astros pitcher Mike Fiers, who plays for the Oakland Athletics, told The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich the organization established a sign-stealing system in 2017 using a camera positioned in the outfield and the help of "at least some on the baseball operations staff."

Per Rosenthal and Drellich, Astros players and employees would carefully watch the camera feed to see the opposing catcher's signs and would then alert their hitter to what pitch was coming by banging on a trash can, which would typically indicate an offspeed pitch was coming.

"Regarding the story posted by The Athletic earlier today, the Houston Astros organization has begun an investigation in cooperation with Major League Baseball," the organization said in a statement, via MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. "It would not be appropriate to comment further on this matter at this time."

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Thursday that MLB's investigation into illegal sign-stealing is expected to be expansive and will include more teams beyond the 2017 Astros, with potential penalties being "unlike anything seen in the sport's recent history" if any wrongdoing can be proved.

Members of the Astros and Boston Red Sox have already been contacted by the league, per Passan.

Houston won the World Series in 2017 by beating the Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games. The team reached the Fall Classic again this season but lost to Washington in seven games.

The Nationals pitching staff held the Astros to 30 runs in the series, including 11 in four games at Minute Maid Park.

Anthony Rendon picked a hell of a time to have the best season of his career and one of the most heroic postseasons for a hitter in recent memory.

His efforts not only helped lead the Washington Nationals to their first World Series championship but also happened on the eve of his first venture into free agency. The 29-year-old third baseman became the top hitter available when the market opened last Thursday.

Judging from the reaction to shortstop Trea Turner's question during the Nationals' championship parade Saturday, Rendon's teammates would very much like him back:

"Can we bring back Anthony Rendon?"

"All in favor, ✋." pic.twitter.com/9D76bCPFsW

— MLB (@MLB) November 2, 2019

To its credit, the Nationals front office made a real effort to avoid this situation. According to Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post, the Nats made Rendon a seven-year contract extension offer in the $210-215 million range in early September. 

His decision to bet on himself, however, only looks wiser in retrospect.

Even before the postseason, Rendon was riding the high of a regular season in which he finished among the National League leaders with a .319 average, .412 on-base percentage, .598 slugging percentage and 6.3 wins above replacement, according to Baseball Reference. He also hit a career-high 34 home runs and led Major League Baseball with 126 runs batted in.

From there, all he did in the playoffs was hit .328/.413/.590 with three home runs in 17 games. According to The Baseball Gauge, his homers in Games 6 and 7 of the World Series were the third- and fourth-biggest hits of the entire postseason.

Perhaps nobody should have been surprised that Rendon was so unfazed by the pressure of the playoffs. He did, after all, also handle pressure in the regular season to the tune of an MLB-best 1.268 OPS in high-leverage situations.

The odd thing about Rendon is how he existed in relative obscurity before 2019 despite his occasional flashes of superstardom.

To wit, he wasn't selected to a single All-Star team between 2014 and 2018 despite ranking 10th in the National League in WAR during that span. He was particularly outstanding in 2017 and 2018, across which he hit .305/.389/.534 with 137 extra-base hits.

Having to share the spotlight with better-known teammates such as Bryce Harper and Max Scherzer didn't do Rendon's star power any favors. He also never went out of his way to seek attention—let's just assume he didn't expect his hot take about baseball being "too long and boring" to go viral in 2014—and his style of play was more effective than it was flashy.

All the while, however, Rendon was making gradual improvements that made his big break an inevitability.

Take his plate approach, for instance. He began his career as a disciplined yet passive hitter. But over time, the gap between his in-zone and out-of-zone swing rates has gotten wider. The former has increased, while the latter has remained steady:

Come this season, Rendon was perhaps the toughest out to get in the National League. He led the NL with an 88.3 contact percentage and with a 0.93 walk-to-strikeout ratio.

Meanwhile, he also effectively doubled his average launch angle between 2015 (10.0 degrees) and 2019 (19.5 degrees). Likewise, his average exit velocity on fly balls leaped from 89.4 mph to 93.5 mph.

There are better hitters than Rendon in Major League Baseball. Anyone who doesn't want to take, say, the word of OPS+ for that can take it from Statcast's xwOBA metric. It rated Mike Trout, Cody Bellinger, Christian Yelich and Nelson Cruz ahead of Rendon in 2019.

Yet Rendon might be baseball's most efficient hitter right now. As in, he's arguably the best at picking battles he can win when he's at the plate. That he's also clutch is a nice bonus.

Rendon's defense is still another nice bonus. He hasn't been and may never be a Gold Glover, but metrics such as defensive runs saved (plus-18) and ultimate zone rating (plus-32.1) have scored him as an above-average third baseman.

Per Manny Machado's 10-year, $300 million contract with the San Diego Padres and Nolan Arenado's eight-year, $260 million pact with the Colorado Rockies, the going rate for a superstar third baseman is a long-term contract worth roughly $30 million per year.

Because Rendon is older than Machado (who was 26) and Arenado (who was 27) were when they signed their deals, he likely won't match the length of their contracts in his next one. A seven-year term is probably the best he can do. 

Still, a contract of that length at $30 million per year would at least get him to where Washington's initial offer was. If he can convince one team to match Arenado's average annual value of $32 million, he'd be looking at a $224 million guarantee.

Unless, of course, Rendon has other ideas. According to ESPN's Buster Olney, "some friends" believe he might prefer a shorter deal with a higher AAV. Such a contract would have to be in the range of five years at $40-45 million per to get his total guarantee into the $200 million neighborhood.

Whatever the case, basically the only thing Rendon will have working against him in free agency is his connection to draft-pick compensation, which he'll secure as soon as he rejects his qualifying offer. 

Otherwise, he has everything a team could ever want in a third baseman and franchise cornerstone.

                             

Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.

The most-talked about moment from the Washington Nationals' visit to the White House also caught catcher Kurt Suzuki by surprise.

Speaking to TMZ Sports, Suzuki said he wasn't expecting President Donald Trump to hug him while he was at the microphone during the ceremony.

WATCH: President Trump hugs Nationals catcher Kurt Suzuki after he wears a "Make American Great Again" hat at White House celebration https://t.co/siqf5BiJWB pic.twitter.com/wkuU65sy65

— CBS News (@CBSNews) November 4, 2019

Despite the moment catching Suzuki off guard, the 36-year-old was in good spirits and noted the team "had a good time" in Washington, D.C. to celebrate their World Series win over the Houston Astros with Trump. 

In addition to the moment with Suzuki, Trump was also presented with a No. 45 Nationals jersey by Ryan Zimmerman. 

Washington's seven-game victory in the Fall Classic marked the franchise's first championship, as well as the first professional baseball title in the nation's capital since 1924. 

Teams across Major League Baseball now have a chance to sign the 2019 World Series MVP, but he won't come cheap.

After months of speculation, ace right-hander Stephen Strasburg officially entered the free-agent market Saturday when he opted out of the last four years of his seven-year, $175 million contract with the Washington Nationals.

Strasburg could have earned $100 million through 2023 by forgoing his opt-out. But as Mark Feinsand of MLB.com noted, the deferred money in the 31-year-old's deal brought the present-day value of his four remaining years down to more like $88 million.

According to MLB Network's Jon Heyman, Strasburg and agent Scott Boras want to do a lot better than that in free agency:

Nats want to keep Strasburg and word is they are willing to give him a nice annual raise from $25M per year. The question could be the years but it’s believed the sides are going to work on it right away. Strasburg side’s comps: teammate Scherzer (210M, 7 yrs) Greinke (206.5M, 6)

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 3, 2019

When last anyone saw him in uniform, Strasburg was on a postseason journey marked by a 1.98 ERA and a 47-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio. It culminated in him earning MVP honors as the Nationals rallied from a 3-2 deficit in the World Series to knock off the Houston Astros in seven games.

"It's just surreal," Strasburg said after Game 7 at Minute Maid Park, per Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com. "And just being able to do it with this group of guys, it's something special. Every one of those guys, we all stuck together."

Strasburg's other credentials also shout, "Ace!" He's a former No. 1 pick (2009) who's been an All-Star three times in 10 major league seasons. He ranks eighth in ERA+ and 10th in wins above replacement since 2010, according to Baseball Reference.

Still, a $200 million contract would be no small ask on the part of Strasburg and Boras. Max Scherzer, Zack Greinke and David Price are the only three pitchers to ever cross that plateau. 

Does Strasburg deserve to be the fourth?

If this question is strictly about Strasburg's present ability, then he's absolutely deserving.

Even before he took center stage in October, Strasburg had already achieved something of a revolutionary season in 2019. He put up a rock-solid 3.32 ERA over a National League-high 209 innings and in a less than familiar fashion.

Through the first nine seasons of his career, Strasburg built his reputation on an electric three-pitch mix—namely, a mid-to-high-90s four-seam fastball, a knee-buckling curveball and a vanishing changeup—and elite command. From looking at his strikeout (10.8 per nine innings) and walk (2.4 per nine innings) rates, 2019 might seem to have been more of the same.

In actuality, Strasburg undertook a two-fold shift in style. He dialed down his average fastball velocity to a career-low 93.9 mph, and he overhauled his pitch mix:

The four-seam fastball that had been at the center of so many highlights in previous years was suddenly no longer Strasburg's primary pitch. His curveball took precedence, and he essentially ditched his slider and played up his sinker.

Thus Strasburg was able to show hitters a wider variety of speeds and movements. As Eno Sarris of The Athletic highlighted, his two-seamer and changeup worked especially well together:

Why Strasburg returned to his two-seamer this year. This GIF from @cardinalsgifs is key to his nearly new strategy. https://t.co/TIZgRbVhyN pic.twitter.com/vbIfvoSlL4

— Eno Sarris (@enosarris) October 29, 2019

Among other things, Strasburg's ingenuity resulted in a career-low 71.5 contact percentage and a 51.1 ground-ball percentage that easily exceeds his career norm of 46.0 percent.

Per Statcast's xwOBA metric—which measures expected production based on strikeouts, walks and contact quality—Strasburg was the fifth-most dominant pitcher of all hurlers who faced at least 500 batters:

• 1. Gerrit Cole, HOU: .238
• 2. Justin Verlander, HOU: .248
• 3. Max Scherzer, WAS: .251
• 4. Jacob deGrom, NYM: .252
• 5. Stephen Strasburg, WAS: .263

However, this list is where nits to pick with Strasburg's free agency begin to materialize.

For one thing, he's unquestionably the second-best starter on the market after Gerrit Cole. The fellow ace righty had an all-timer of a walk year in posting an American League-best 2.50 ERA and a whopping, MLB-leading 326 strikeouts, and he was plenty dominant in his own right throughout October. To boot, the 29-year-old is two years younger than Strasburg.

Strasburg's age is also problematic in relation to Scherzer and Price, who were coming off their age-29 seasons when they cashed in for over $200 million. Though he's a year younger than Greinke was when he got his $200 million deal, a key difference is that Strasburg isn't the most durable 30-something baseball has ever known.

Though the Tommy John surgery he underwent in 2010 is the only major injury scare of his career, it's one that isn't so easily ignored. He's also had trouble with more minor injuries since then, including in each of the four seasons that preceded his 2019 campaign.

All told, Strasburg has pitched only 789.1 innings over the last five seasons. That's hundreds fewer than Scherzer, Price and Greinke pitched in their last five campaigns before free agency.

A more fitting comp for Strasburg is Jon Lester, who signed a six-year, $155 million contract with the Chicago Cubs in 2014.

At the time, Lester was pushing 31, and his track record consisted of ups and downs with his production and his health. Yet he also had a stellar postseason track record, and he was ultimately out to capitalize on a career-best season that he finished with a 2.46 ERA over 219.2 innings.

One noteworthy difference between Lester then and Strasburg now is that the latter was subject to and indeed received a qualifying offer Monday. Assuming he rejects it, he'll have tied himself to draft-pick compensation. That won't altogether kill his market, but it will hinder it.

But after five years of inflation and rising offense, a $150 million contract seems like a fair floor for Strasburg. And he has two possible routes to that figure: A six-year deal at $25 million per or a five-year deal at $30 million per.

Certainly, it's not out of the question that one enterprising team will be willing to up the ante. An extra year on either of those two possibilities would bump his total guarantee to $175 or $180 million.

So while $200 million is likely an unrealistic ask, Strasburg shouldn't have to settle for significantly less. He won't regret turning down the $100 million he had in hand.

                                       

Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant. 

The Washington Nationals visited President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday to celebrate their World Series title. They were greeted on the lawn with a live rendition of "Baby Shark," the children's song that became the team's unofficial anthem after Gerardo Parra began using it as his walk-up music in June.

The song became the Nats' good-luck charm, so it's fitting that it was the prelude to Trump's address to the team Monday.

"It became the anthem for Nats fans everywhere," the president said of the song. "And I'll tell you what, that became a very, very powerful tune."

for maybe the the first time ever (?) “Baby Shark” is being played on the White House South Lawn. cc @Nationals pic.twitter.com/106Mhj6OJN

— Hallie Jackson (@HallieJackson) November 4, 2019

Having the United States Marine Band play a children's song on the White House lawn served as the perfect backdrop for the bizarre incongruence that has descended upon Washington, D.C. The city is experiencing both the elation of celebrating a World Series title and the governmental combativeness that accompanied impeachment proceedings' being brought against Trump by the House of Representatives.

It was no surprise that Trump—booed by Nationals fans less than a week ago—slipped in a crack about impeachment while speaking about the team's run to a title.

"America fell in love with the Nats baseball, they just fell in love with Nats baseball," he said. "That's all they wanted to talk about—that and impeachment."

After the seven-game World Series defeat of the Houston Astros, several Nationals players chose not to attend the White House ceremony.

Nice chronicling of the Nats playoff run. The players who are not there did not get mentioned but it's a cool trip back through the playoffs highlighting the big moments of all the guys who showed up.

Never thought I'd see this. The Nats at the White House.

— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) November 4, 2019

Anthony Rendon, Javy Guerra, Joe Ross, Wander Suero, Wilmer Difo, Michael A. Taylor, Victor Robles, Roenis Elias, Sean Doolittle, Raudy Read and Tres Barrera did not take part. Doolittle elaborated on his decision.

"There's a lot of things, policies that I disagree with, but at the end of the day, it has more to do with the divisive rhetoric and the enabling of conspiracy theories and widening the divide in this country," he told Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post.

Catcher Kurt Suzuki, meanwhile, donned a red hat with Trump's political slogan "Make America Great Again" before he addressed the crowd on the White House lawn.

Nationals catcher Kurt Suzuki dons a 'Make America Great Again' hat at the WH, and Pres Trump hugs him: pic.twitter.com/YQMkhTAhkp

— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) November 4, 2019

The concept of "Stick to Sports," often hurled at athletes and sports media when they speak on topics outside their professions, is more outdated than ever. Sports and politics have always blurred together, and a celebration of the Nationals' World Series victory over the Astros is no exception.

RYAN ZIMMERMAN to TRUMP: "We'd also like to thank you for keeping everyone safe in our country, and continuing to make America the greatest country to live in the world." pic.twitter.com/XFaicLHWkn

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 4, 2019

Ace Stephen Strasburg has reportedly opted out of his contract after going 5-0 with a 1.98 ERA and 47 strikeouts in five postseason starts. When he finished his turn at the microphone, some in the crowd began chanting: "Four more years! Four more years!"

It wasn't hard to see the subtext in the chant. Trump, after all, will be up for reelection in a year.

Stephen Strasburg just finished addressing the crowd and a "4 more years chant" started. This whole thing is very surreal.

— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) November 4, 2019

Some spoke on the usual narratives of how sports bring people together. The Nats' title "unified a region when a region needed unifying the most," general manager Mike Rizzo said.

"You guys got after it," he continued. "Not a baseball town? Not even close. Huge baseball town. What a great fanbase we had, the playoffs, the latter part of the season and the playoffs, you guys were electric. It was unbelievable."

The day wasn't without levity. Rizzo decried the controversial interference call on Trea Turner:

Trump references the controversial Trea Turner first base interference call. Mike Rizzo says "that was bad."

Trump: "They might have to fine you for that, you're not allowed to say that. They can't fine me. I thought it was a terrible call, personally."

— Jeremy Barr (@jeremymbarr) November 4, 2019

Trump joked, "As soon as they lose the first two or three games, they're not gonna be heroes anymore, that's the way life works," adding, "but that won't happen to them."

The Nationals started the season 19-31. They lost superstar Bryce Harper in the offseason—have any of their fans mentioned that lately?—and weren't considered a World Series favorite. Even when they got red-hot behind the brilliant pitching of Max Scherzer and Strasburg, they still had to face the mighty Astros, who won the most games in baseball this year and were the presumed front-runners.

In many ways, then, the White House ceremony was a celebration of resilience, camaraderie and the underdog spirit—the story of a compelling baseball team that got hot at the perfect moment and finally gave a city the baseball title it had craved.

But there was also "Baby Shark." There was the mention of impeachment. There was the noticeable absence of some of the team's key players and the bright red symbol on Suzuki's head. This is what winning looks like in 2019.

The Washington Nationals are reportedly going to open up their pockets to re-sign postseason hero Stephen Strasburg.

According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, "they are willing to give him a nice annual raise" and the two sides are going to work right away. The main negotiation between the two sides could be the number of years on the next deal.

Strasburg had four more years at $100 million remaining on his last deal but decided to opt out of the remaining contract and hit free agency, per Jeff Passan of ESPN.

While Washington will certainly want to retain the World Series MVP from the franchise's first-ever championship, there will likely be a lot of demand for the 31-year-old.

Strasburg signed a seven-year, $175 million extension in 2016 during a stretch when he struggled with consistency and durability. He made himself a lot of money in 2019 by showcasing elite talent while staying healthy.

He finished the regular season with a 3.32 ERA and 1.04 WHIP while also setting career highs with 18 wins and 251 strikeouts. His 209 innings also led the league after he managed just 22 starts a year ago.

The right-hander shined in the playoffs with a 5-0 record and 1.98 ERA in six appearances (five starts).

In Game 6 of the World Series with the team on the brink of elimination, he went 8.1 innings while allowing just two runs.

Strasburg will be a huge addition to any team this offseason, regardless of whether pitching is a need.

If the Nationals want to ensure the starter is on their team in 2020, they will need to come through with a significant offer.

The October hero may be on the way out of Washington.

Stephen Strasburg has been with the Washington Nationals for his entire career, but that may change in 2020 after ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Saturday that the right-hander plans to opt out of the remaining four years and $100 million on his contract.

Strasburg would have earned $25 million in base salary during the 2020 season. According to Spotrac, he also had an opt out available after 2020. 

His decision to opt out isn't a shock considering Jon Paul Morosi of MLB.com reported in September there was "increasing speculation in the industry" that Strasburg was either going to do so or "leverage that possibility into getting a new, larger contract." Morosi noted Strasburg might be interested in pitching closer to his hometown of San Diego.

A dominant postseason run might have further convinced Strasburg to test the market.

He finished the regular season with a 3.32 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 251 strikeouts in 209 innings, and he cemented his place in Nationals lore with a 1.98 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 47 strikeouts in the playoffs. Washington went 6-0 in games he appeared in during the postseason, and he won the World Series MVP against the Houston Astros by outdueling future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander twice, including with his team facing elimination in Game 6.

Strasburg didn't only shine in the Fall Classic. He threw three shutout innings of relief against the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Wild Card Game and seven shutout innings in his one appearance in the National League Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Strasburg's decision to opt out of his deal is a welcome development for other teams in need of quality starting pitching.

The three-time All-Star has been a dominant force when healthy and has never finished with an ERA above 3.74 for a single season. He was half of arguably the best one-two punch in baseball alongside Max Scherzer and won't turn 32 until July.

Durability concerns have plagued Strasburg since he made only five starts in 2011 and was shut down before the playoffs in 2012, but he proved this year that he can anchor a staff with Scherzer and thrive under the brightest lights the sport has to offer.

Whichever team signs him will have one of the best pitchers in baseball.

The Washington Nationals will decline first baseman Ryan Zimmerman's $18 million option for 2020, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network.

Heyman noted the club is interested in bringing the longtime star back at a lower salary.

The 35-year-old has played his entire 15-year career in Washington after the Nats drafted him fourth overall out of the University of Virginia in 2005.

The two-time All-Star has smacked 270 home runs, knocked in 1,015 runners and posted a .818 OPS for his career. He has won two Silver Slugger Awards, finished among the top 25 in the NL MVP voting four times, won a Gold Glove and finished second in the NL Rookie of the Year race.

Washington has made the playoffs five times during his tenure. On Wednesday, the Nationals captured their first World Series title in franchise history by defeating the Houston Astros in the 2019 Fall Classic in seven games.

Plantar fasciitis kept Zimmerman off the field for much of the 2019 season, limiting him to only 52 games. However, Zimmerman was healthy enough to participate in the postseason, where he went 4-of-14 in the National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The veteran smacked a three-run homer to help the Nats win Game 4, 6-1.