Contract extension with Nationals makes sense for Strasburg

Let's say, for the sake of argument, that the Nationals' Stephen Strasburg wanted to become a free agent after the season and pitch on the West Coast where he'd be closer to home in San Diego.

Strasburg, 27, never talked about his future with reporters, but it's reasonable that a West Coast guy would give up the rush-rush pace of the East Coast for the sunshine of Southern California.

Strasburg, though, has signed a seven-year, $175 million contract to stay with the Nationals at least through 2019, the first of two consecutive seasons that Strasburg can opt out of his contract.

As Strasburg approached free-agent eligibility, the landscape for a return to the West Coast wasn't good for a variety of reasons. There is a list of factors that determine why a player chooses a particular team: Money, length of contract, going home and living in a city that's comfortable for family.

But, playing on a team that has the potential to win every year in intriguing as well and that's where the Nationals have the West Coast teams beat.

The Padres are a small-market team builds and rebuilds. And, signing Strasburg would blow their budget. If Strasburg signed with San Diego, he would be a Padres' version of Cincinnati's Joey Votto or Minnesota's Joe Mauer - a big-money player on a team of prospects.

The Los Angeles Dodgers would have the cash to pay Strasburg, but the Dodgers have an aging roster.

San Francisco has already invested in pitchers Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija and the Giants' ace to keep is Madison Bumgarner. The Oakland Athletics don't have $175 million for one pitcher.

The Los Angeles Angels? Forget it. They would have the money, but signing with the Angels would be equal to jumping on a sinking ship. They have no pitching and their offense is aging. The Angels' two most experienced starters, C.J. Wilson and Jered Weaver, are past their prime. Their best pitcher, Garrett Richards, just went on the disabled list because of Tommy John. Matt Shoemaker and Tyler Skaggs are rehabilitating injuries.

In the offseason, the Angels traded two of their best pitching prospects to Atlanta for shortstop Andrelton Simmons. Except for Mike Trout, who is likely not to sign with the Angels when he becomes a free agent, the offense is bad. Albert Pujols is old and the Angels' farm system is weak. Trout signed a six-year extension and now can't be a free agent until 2020, a decision he is regretting.

So, compare those options to what's going on with the Nationals, and it's easy to see that Strasburg's best choice is to stay in D.C. The Nationals' rotation is set through 2019. Strasburg and Max Scherzer, 31, are the anchors in their prime. Tanner Roark, 29, and Joe Ross, 22, are going to be around for a while, at a cost favorable to the Nationals.

Lefty Gio Gonzalez, 30, who has rebounded from a slumping 2015, is an effective pitcher at an inexpensive rate. The Nationals have a $12 million option for him for 2017, and if Gonzalez throws 180 innings next season, another $12 million option takes hold for 2018.

And there's Lucas Giolito, the Nationals' top pitching prospect, likely to land in the big leagues this season. Strasburg is an introvert. He's generally quiet, but there are times when he perks up, especially talking about his family's military service with Martin Dempsey, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

When Dempsey visited the Nationals' clubhouse a couple of years back, Strasburg told him about his two grandfathers that served in the Air Force during World War II. Both grandfathers had the same initials - RES - so Strasburg showed Dempsey that he had those red letters stitched into his black leather glove.

Strasburg loves telling that story. He said that he had called his mom to say that he had shared the stories with Dempsey, and, "She was freaking out.''

Classic connections like that can make Strasburg feel at home in D.C. Strasburg's dream may well have been to pitch in San Diego or Los Angeles, but, really, what kind of potential do those West Coast teams have compared to the Nationals?

After striking out 11 Detroit Tigers on Monday night in the Nationals' 5-4 win at Nationals Park, Strasburg said that he's never lived anywhere other than San Diego, but after all these years in Washington, he said the East Coast is growing on him and his family.

By signing with the Nationals, Strasburg is a long way from the comfort of Southern California. But, it also means he's closer to October baseball.