After defeating the Houston Astros to capture their first World Series championship in franchise history, the Washington Nationals saw two of their top players hit the open market.
One was Stephen Strasburg, whose brilliance throughout the month of October culminated with World Series MVP honors. An overall excellent 2019 campaign positioned the right-hander for a hefty payday, and his performance in the postseason only helped matters.
Despite receiving interest from other teams, Strasburg agreed to a record-breaking contract with the Nationals on Day 1 of the Winter Meetings in San Diego, keeping him atop their starting rotation for the foreseeable future.
Strasburg returning to Washington created a domino effect for his longtime teammate Anthony Rendon, as Nationals owner Mark Lerner previously hinted that the organization would only be able to retain one of the two.
Receiving more lucrative offers elsewhere, Rendon has reportedly decided to sign a seven-year contract with the Los Angeles Angeles, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network:
Rendon deal done with angels . 245M . 7 yrs.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 12, 2019
Rendon, 29, is coming off a career year in which he tied for the National League lead in doubles (44) and topped all of baseball with 126 RBI. He overall batted .319/.412/1.010 with a personal-best 34 home runs en route to a top-three finish in MVP voting and Silver Slugger Award.
Rendon went on to hit a stellar .412/.455/.765 with three doubles, one double and five RBI in five games against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Division Series.
The Dodgers’ interest in Rendon dates back to earlier in the 2019 season, when speculation first arose that they could make a play for him during the winter. However, L.A. reportedly focused on Gerrit Cole, who wound up spurning them in favor of the New York Yankees.
Although the Dodgers were among the teams linked to Rendon, on Wednesday they were said to be doubtful of the likelihood he would be brought into the fold. Missing on Rendon adds another layer to the Dodgers’ recent history in free agency that has seen them fall short for marquee players.
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