While Gerrit Cole undoubtedly is the top free-agent arm this offseason, Stephen Strasburg is not far behind.
The veteran hurler, who’s spent his entire career in Washington, D.C., unsurprisingly opted out of his contract earlier this offseason after winning the World Series with the Nationals and claiming MVP honors for the Fall Classic.
Quality starting pitching can be tough to come by, so it would come as little surprise if Strasburg garnered a pretty massive haul in free agency. After a few offseasons where things were slow to get going, we might not have to wait forever this year. According to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (h/t CBS Sports), Strasburg could agree to his new contract before the Winter Meetings next month. Those are set to begin Dec. 8.
Getting Strasburg off the market might kick things into gear for the mid-tier free agents, though that’s not a guarantee.
So, who is kicking the tires on Strasburg?
As has been reported throughout this offseason, the three teams linked to the righty are the Nats, as well as the San Diego Padres and New York Yankees.
Washington obviously would make sense given the familiarity, but the Yankees always have money to spend, and Strasburg is from San Diego. Whether that’s enough to pry him away from the team he’s pitched 10 big league seasons for remains to be seen, but either way, where the 31-year-old lands will impact teams across the league.
