Washington Nationals: What If Stephen Strasburg Left?

The Washington Nationals gave Stephen Strasburg a seven-year extension back in April. What if they never gave him that deal?

Last year, the Washington Nationals looked like a team bound to make a World Series run.

However, their championship aspirations took a big hit when pitcher Stephen Strasburg injured his forearm, forcing him to become a spectator for the remainder of the 2016 season.

Before his injury, Strasburg was looking like a Cy Young arm, but he was hit hard in his last few outings before suffering his elbow injury. While Strasburg’s injury devastated their World Series hopes, the Nationals are also faced with the issue of his long-term durability, due to the massive contract they extended to him.

With Strasburg bound to hit the free agent market, the Nationals felt that he might leave for a big market team like the New York Yankees or Boston Red Sox.

As a result, they gave Strasburg a monster seven-year/$175 million deal to keep him in the nation’s capital long term.

Strasburg’s elbow woes then came back to haunt him yet again. With year one of his extension beginning this year, the Nationals are likely wondering whether extending him was the wrong course of action. If they didn’t extend him, they may have been able to improve, and readjust their team in several ways this offseason.