Strasburg's price tag doesn't turn off future (?) teammates
By Danny Knobler | CBSSports.com Senior Writer Follow DannyMiller: Stuff of legend
Yeah, they've heard of him. Of course they've heard of him.
Stephen Strasburg? Yeah, of course the Nationals know who he is.
"I know he throws a billion," Adam Dunn said.
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| San Diego State stud Stephen Strasburg mows down hitters with triple-digit heat. (Game Daily) |
The Nationals have the first pick in the June draft, so Strasburg can be theirs. All they have to do is take him -- and then pay the price.
• B/R: Nats must draft, sign Strasburg
What's interesting is that the Nationals' players seem more interested in how hard Strasburg throws than in how much money he wants. On a team with a $60 million payroll, a team where no player is making more this year than the $8 million the Nats are paying Dunn, there seems to be little or no resentment for a guy who might want as much as $50 million before throwing his first professional pitch.
"I don't care," rookie pitcher Jordan Zimmermann said. "It's not my money."
There are those who would say it is, in fact, his money. More than one major league player has complained about big money going to unproven prospects, on the theory that every dollar a team spends on a draft pick is one dollar less it can pay to players it already has.
One difference here could be that the Nationals have all heard about Strasburg's ability.
"If he's as good as everyone says, it makes sense to sign him," Dunn said. "If he's as good as everyone says, it's a no-brainer. He could probably be here in August."
It should be a no-brainer for a Nationals team that now claims to be interested in building a team through player development. After finally freeing themselves of Jim Bowden, who resigned under pressure during spring training, the Nationals have put their baseball operations in the hands of Mike Rizzo, who has a strong background in scouting.
Rizzo has a lot of work to do with the major league team, but he's concerned enough about the draft that he said he plans to see as many as 20 top amateur players himself.
"If you weigh the cost of scouting and developing your own players vs. signing free agents, that question answers itself," Rizzo said.
The Nationals signed Dunn as a free agent, but have gone with a young starting rotation that they've mostly developed themselves. Zimmermann, 22, was Washington's second-round draft pick in 2007. Opening day starter John Lannan, 24, was an 11th-round pick in 2005.
Neither one got nearly the money that Strasburg will. Neither one seems concerned about that.
"If they want to spend it, it's up to them," Lannan said. "Any addition that can help the team win is fine with me."
That's fine to say now, but what about when Lannan is looking for more money himself, and the club says it spent all its money to sign Strasburg?
"There's only so much money to go around," Rizzo admitted. "There's probably some thoughts of 'What's going to be left for me?' There's only so much money in the pie."
And when that money is going to players who have yet to play one inning in pro ball, major league players don't always like it.
"I saw some things when we signed
Acta admitted that he is already getting asked about Strasburg. He also admitted that he has been following the San Diego State right-hander.
"He's supposed to be very special," Acta said. "I remember in spring training I got a message that he had struck out 18, and that 15 of them were swinging."
The players have heard those reports, too.
"He throws 100, and he strikes out college hitters," Lannan said. Then, realizing how the second part of that sentence sounded, he added, "I hear his stuff is unbelievable."
They've all heard that, and maybe that's why the reports of a big price tag don't bother them.
"Good for him," Josh Willingham said. "I'm not mad at anyone for getting paid."
Especially not anyone who can throw a billion.
