Not until Tuesday was it known that the Texas Rangers and Washington Nationals had trade discussions in the offseason involving a high-profile pitcher. If the rumors are true, will the two MLB clubs attempt to work out a deal this upcoming offseason due to their current situations?
The Nationals entered the 2015 season with the best rotation on paper, but the results have been much different as the year progressed. Although their starters' ERA (3.83) ranks ninth in the MLB, it's regarded as a big underachievement for a staff that was expected to take the league by storm. Now, at 73-70, the Nationals are 9.5 games behind the NL East-leading New York Mets with just 19 games to go.
Will general manager Mike Rizzo consider doing some re-tooling in the offseason?
"The Rangers were one of several clubs that talked to the Nationals about righty Stephen Strasburg last offseason, but never got close to a deal, according to major-league sources," FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reported earlier today.
Does that stand a chance to change in the coming months? Strasburg has perhaps been the least popular starter on the Nats this season after his poor start (he has the worst ERA in the rotation). The right-hander is 8-7 with a 4.30 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in 19 starts as he dealt with a number of injuries and missed about two months of action.
"Looking forward, it remains to be seen whether there will be any consideration given this winter to a deal involving the 27-year-old righty," writes Jeff Todd of MLBTradeRumors.com. "Strasburg's value is down, due both to an inconsistent 2015 season and to the fact that he now has only one season left before hitting free agency, but it's still hard to imagine the Nats letting him go unless the return was rather significant."
No, his value is not as high as it should be, but it's bound to increase if he pitches well in his final 3-4 starts. Since returning from the disabled list in early August, Strasburg is 3-2 with a 2.89 ERA and 48 strikeouts in six starts. Over that span he lowered his ERA from 5.16 to 4.30. Additionally, the Nats are bound to lose Jordan Zimmermann and Ian Desmond in free agency after the two rejected a number of contract extension offers.
Strasburg is a client of the infamous Scott Boras, and while the Nationals have a good relationship with the agent, it's unknown if the team would be willing to invest big money in the former first-overall pick since he underwent Tommy John surgery back in 2011. The post-surgery careers in recent seasons have gotten more and more bleak.
With top prospects Lucas Giolito and A.J. Cole as well as rookie Joe Ross, the Nats should have themselves a good core of young pitching for the foreseeable future. Throw in Max Scherzer, Gio Gonzalez (potentially through the 2018 season) and Tanner Roark (without him bouncing from the bullpen to the starting rotation), and it's really not outlandish to think the Nats would be open to moving Strasburg before next season.
As for the Rangers, they'll have Yovani Gallardo and Colby Lewis hit free agency this offseason. In the competitive AL West, it wouldn't hurt to further bolster their rotation with Strasburg, however, it's key to remember the Rangers entered these talks with Washington before they acquired Gallardo in the winter and surrendered a number of top prospects for Cole Hamels in July.
Texas will welcome back Yu Darvish, who missed all of this year due to Tommy John surgery, in 2016, but he'll be limited to an extent and it's unknown how he'll perform. General manager Jon Daniels could go after one of the premiere free-agent starters set to hit the open market this offseason, but the team already has almost $120 million committed to next year's payroll, not including a number of arbitration salaries they'll have to pay.
Additionally, after moving all of those prospects for Cole Hamels, it's unlikely Daniels dips further into the farm system to get Strasburg for just one season. Instead, he might look to re-sign Gallardo to have a solid 1-2-3 with Hamels and Darvish.
Nonetheless, keep an eye on how the Nationals handle Strasburg in the offseason because GM Mike Rizzo may not be able to afford to let yet another high-profile player walk in free agency.
