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Quick Notes: Mark Lerner issues a rare statement about Stephen Strasburg
In a rare move, Washington Nationals Managing Principal Owner Mark Lerner issues a rare statement about Stephen Strasburg
If you have been on X over the past few days, there has been a lot of talk about Stephen Strasburg and his status as a Washington Nationals. It was reported that the RHP 2019 World Series MVP would announce his retirement at an upcoming press conference.
It wasnโt until yesterday when X went a blaze after Senior MLB writer for The Athletic Britt Ghiroli reported that โStephen Strasburgโs retirement press conference slated for Saturday has been canceled, multiple sources say. The plan was to honor him and retire his number but the Nationals have changed course.โ
https://twitter.com/Britt_Ghiroli/status/1699843903065612308
That sent shockwaves throughout the Washington Nationals fan base. It wasnโt until this afternoon that Washington Nationals Managing Principal Owner Mark Lerner issued a rare statement about Stephen Strasburg that was released via Mark Zuckerman of MASN which said: โStephen Strasburg is and always will be an important part of the Washington Nationals franchise. We support him in any decision he makes and will ensure that he receives what is due to him. It is regrettable that private discussions have been made public through anonymous sources attempting to negotiate through the media.โ Lerner went on to say โWhile we have been following the Collective Bargaining Agreement, behind-the-scenes preparations for a press conference had begun internally. However, no such event was ever confirmed by the team or promoted publicly. It is unfortunate that external leaks in the press have mischaracterized these events. It is our hope that ongoing conversations remain private out of respect for the individuals involved. Until then, we look forward to seeing Stephen Strasburg when we report to Spring Training.โ
WOW! Just WOW! I am personally glad that Mark Lerner issued a statement here as the story was just spinning out of control. There is a lot to unpack here and we at the Nats Report will be reporting on it every step of the way!
More to come as this story develops.