Did Nationals owner take jab at Stephen Strasburg amid retirement, contract dispute?

Things might be getting a little nasty in D.C. between the Washington Nationals and 2019 World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg. 

Days after the Nationals postponed Strasburg's retirement ceremony over an alleged contract dispute, owner Mark Lerner addressed the situation, capping off his statement with a shot at three-time All-Star. 

"It is our hope that ongoing conversations remain private out of respect for the individuals involved," Lerner said via Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. "Until then, we look forward to seeing Stephen when we report to spring training." 

Lerner's comment about spring training isn't the best look for him or the Nationals. Strasburg has made only eight starts since 2020, dealing with several injuries and a severe nerve issue that prevented him from pitching in 2023. At 33, Strasburg has likely thrown his final game in the majors, and the Nationals know this. After all, they were reportedly the first to reach out to Strasburg about retiring while agreeing to pay the remainder of a seven-year, $245 million contract signed three years ago. 

For the record, Lerner did say that the Nationals supported whatever Strasburg decided to do while ensuring that "he receives what is due to him." However, Lerner claims that the Nationals never confirmed a retirement ceremony for Strasburg, blaming the chaos on external leaks to media outlets. 

"It's regrettable that private discussions have been made public through anonymous sources attempting to negotiate through the media," Lerner said. "While we have been following the process required by 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." 

No matter how you slice it, the team's handling of this situation couldn't look worse. Not only are the Nationals giving arguably one of the franchise's best players the runaround over money they agreed to pay him, but their owner has now dug in his heels, blaming everyone but the team for how things have transpired. 

Worse yet, the decision to retire wasn't Strasburg's to make. His body did that for him. Yet, despite all this, the Nationals continue to show how not to treat a legend once they've decided to walk away from the game.