“We really can only afford to have one of those two guys,” Lerner told Donald Dell of NBC Sports Washington, referring to Stephen Strasburg and Anthony Rendon, two franchise pillars testing the open market as free agents. Both Strasburg and Rendon will require huge contracts, and the Nationals already have a substantial amount of money committed to a handful of players. The Nationals were always going to explore contingency plans in case Strasburg and Rendon were to leave, so that is par for the course. But the assertion that Strasburg and Rendon can’t fit on the same payroll and only one can return gives a window into how Lerner wants to handle the books moving forward. That’s why they call it free agency.”ADBoth Strasburg and Rendon probably are looking for deals with an average annual value that exceeds $30 million.

Source: Washington Post December 06, 2019 01:13 UTC