Thaindian News

According to the sources the Washington Nationals beat Monday’s deadline by coming to a mutual agreement with the pitcher Stephen Strasburg, the top pic in this years MLB draft. Strasburg who was reportedly chosen by the Nationals with the first pick of the Major League Baseball (MLB draft) on June 9, has agreed to a record deal with the Washington late Monday night. The deal is said to be of a whooping $15.1 million.

According to the sources, the deal is believed to be of four years with a $7.5 million signing bonus, thus easily surpassing the $10.5 million Mark Prior received from the Cubs in the year 2001. Inside sources reveal that neither Strasburg nor the Nationals had an alternative to a negotiated agreement. The Nationals could have received the second pick in next year’s draft. Strasburg’s leverage, which is quite limited by the structure of the draft wouldn’t have been higher provided his historically great performance this spring.

The 21-year-old Strasburg, a hard throwing pitcher out of San Diego state is considered as one of the best players of the game and is regarded as one of the brightest prospects of the future.

Although the deal is quite a stunning one, but it is already being said that Strasburg’s agent Scott Boras was seeking for a deal exceeding $20 million. Sources reveal that Boras has reportedly compared Strasburg with the Japanese Pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, who had signed a $52 million contract with the Red Sox in the year 2007, but the approach could have been some sort of a bargaining ploy.

The deadline for signing off Strasburg was slated till Monday night and no wonder Washington Nationals succeeded to make the player to come to an agreement within the stipulated time.