After Max Scherzer’s introductory press conference Wednesday, agent Scott Boras strongly denied a report that another one of his clients, Stephen Strasburg, would be open to leaving Washington.
The report, posted on Twitter by freelance reporter John Perrotto on Monday, claimed that Strasburg is “very much available” and “both sides believe it is time to move on.”
“We don’t know where that came from,” Boras said Wednesday. “Stephen Strasburg wants to play here and wants to be with Max Scherzer and grow. I don’t know who the writer was, but the writer certainly never called us and he never called Stephen.”
Strasburg’s future in D.C. has been cast into doubt with the arrival of Scherzer, who signed a seven-year, $210 million contract earlier Wednesday.
The former No. 1 overall pick is one of several Nationals pitchers set to become a free agent in the next couple of years. Jordan Zimmermann and Doug Fister will each hit the market at the conclusion of the 2015 season, while Strasburg will become a free agent in 2016.
Boras said he is not concerned about how Scherzer’s contract might affect Strasburg’s future in Washington.
“I spoke to Mike and the people when we signed Max, and they said that they have every intention of keeping this pitching staff intact,” Boras said.
Nationals owner Mark Lerner, whose family played an instrumental role in bringing Scherzer to Washington, offered a similar view.
“Right now, it’s our intention to [keep the team intact],” Lerner said. “But that’s Mike’s call. And sometimes opportunities pop up that we don’t know about. But right now, this is the team that’s going to spring training and hopefully will be here on Opening Day.”
• Tom Schad can be reached at tschad@washingtontimes.com.
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