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The Nats drafted Stephen Strasburg, who pitched for San Diego State. |
IF THE AVERAGE
The Washington Nationals paid Stephen Strasburg, their No. 1 pick in the June draft, three times that amount ($7.5 million) just to sign his name on a contract.
Strasburg's total compensation package over a four-year period is a reported $15.1 million.
We're talking here about a 21-year-old right-hander who has never thrown a pitch in a professional game in his life--a guy, who in his final college start at San Diego State, was roughed up (5-1) by the University of Virginia.
In the real world, employers pay for performance. In professional sports--especially baseball--they pay for potential performance.
A lot can happen before Strasburg ever walks onto a major-league mound. There have been hundreds of highly touted pitchers in the past who have experienced arm trouble before getting out of the minors.
Even those bonus babies who make it to the big club don't always yield great dividends. Take, for example, Mark Prior, who signed for $10 million with the Chicago Cubs in 2001. His arm blew out several years into his professional career, and he was cut loose by San Diego this spring.
Washington is definitely taking a chance in paying Strasburg those big bucks. That $15 million equates to 15 good $1 million-a-year proven players or about 40 players at minimum salary.
One player--even a top-flight pitcher--doesn't make a championship franchise. Steve Carleton won 20 games year after year for the Philadelphia Phillies, and the team labored to stay out of the National League cellar.
The same was true for Ferguson Jenkins of the Cubs, Nolan Ryan for several clubs and, the greatest example of all, Walter Johnson with the hapless Washington Senators.
Strasburg's record contract is especially ironic in light of the present economy. With more than 10 percent of America's work force out of a job, somehow it seems ridiculous to give a kid $15 million based on his college performance.
If that is the standard, then all the men and women who graduate summa cum laude should be eligible for million-dollar signing bonuses when they get out of school.
Yes, it is true that Babe Ruth made $100,000 a year during the Great Depression, but the Bambino's salary was based on his record, not raw potential.
There is another point to consider when evaluating Washington's decision to pay $15 million for Strasburg--free agency.
The Nationals will have their No. 1 pick locked up for five years, but then he will be eligible to become a free agent. If he flounders at the major-league level, that will be no big deal.
But if he lives up to the team's lofty expectations, he will more than likely become a New York Yankee, a Boston Red Sox or a Los Angeles Dodger after five years.
With an agent such as Scott Boros, it is highly unlikely that Washington will ever be able to afford Strasburg as a star.
In other words, the Nationals will pay $15 million to develop a star pitcher for one of their chief rivals. That's not good business as far as I'm concerned.
So why did Washington sign Strasburg? Fan and media pressure.
The Nationals were afraid that if they didn't get him, their fans would have thought the team was not serious about winning. And the media would have pounded the point home for years.
But then the Nationals knew that Strasburg would come at a high price, so why did they draft him?
I wouldn't have.
Teams such as the Minnesota Twins and Florida Marlins build good teams from good scouting, not No. 1 draft picks. That's the way the Nats need to go.
Stephen Strasburg may indeed become a Hall of Famer. But he isn't there yet.
And if he is inducted at Cooperstown, it probably won't be in a Washington uniform.
But before the ceremonies, some Yankee executive will probably thank Washington for developing the kid.
Meanwhile, the Nationals will probably be fighting to stay out of the National League East cellar yet another season.
And thousands of workers will still be looking for jobs, and wishing they could get $7.5 million bonuses.
Donnie Johnston:
Email: djohnston@freelancestar.com
