Under The Knife 6/5/23

The Strasburg Method

Let’s get right to it today, because I have some interesting stuff on:

STEPHEN STRASBURG, SP WAS (thoracic outlet/rehab, inflamed neck)

There was a bombshell report from the Washington Post’s Jesse Dougherty on Saturday that Stephen Strasburg has significant nerve damage and may never pitch again. On top of that, the Nationals have no disability insurance against the remaining three and a half years on his contract, each at $35m per - but more on that later.

On the disability insurance, that isn’t uncommon and in Strasburg’s case, obtaining useful coverage would be almost impossible. Disability insurance often comes with pre-existing conditions exceptions and with Strasburg’s history at the point he signed in 2019, a lot might have been excepted. It’s notable that the nerve damage might not have been one of those conditions, but it’s much more likely that an elbow or shoulder injury would have pushed Strasburg out, so it’s hard to fault the decision makers at the Nats. It’s also notable that it wouldn’t be Mike Rizzo. He’d make the decision on the contract, in consultation with the owner and others, so he’d likely have known at some point that disability insurance would be difficult or ineffective, but teams handle ancillary issues in different ways.

As for the nerve issues, these were known, but the fact that it’s so severe that even light physical activity is causing exacerbations is news. Dougherty’s report makes it sound like the nerve issue is in his neck, so the thoracic outlet syndrome might have been a contributing factor, but unlikely to be causative. Nerve issues are nearly impossible to predict and with that contract unable to be discharged or offset, there’s no reason for the Nats to do anything but wait, hope, and continue his medical care.

One thing that stood out to me is that there was little discussion of his medical care at this stage. “Wait and see”, especially related to nerves and post-surgery, is not a care plan. Dr. Gregory Pearl did his TOS surgery and it would stun me if he wasn’t involved still. Strasburg’s run of nerve problems is certainly worrisome, with his carpal tunnel, neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome, and now neck issues all potentially on the same neural pathway. I have a feeling that behind the scenes, a lot more is going on and I am digging to find out what that is. I’m curious if the Post and other in-the-room outposts will have a quick followup.

But wait, there’s more. Let’s assume that Strasburg never pitches again and that his contract times out after 2026. He’s still due the deferred money from the contract, which will come in three payments in 26, 27, and 28. (I don’t have full details, but Spotrac has the payments at $26.6m, which would be less than the $80m deferred and I don’t understand that.) So essentially, the Nats have the player until 26, but the payments against the salary cap - err, luxury tax - until 28. I’m assuming the Lerners thought they would have sold the team by now and passed this problem on.

Like Ron Popeil, said, there’s even more. Let’s keep the assumption that Strasburg never pitches again and retired after his contract lapses. Law changes in California have made it harder for players to file under that state’s worker’s compensation standards - a player needs to have played for a California-based team or have played 20 percent of his games in California. I didn’t check, but doubt the Nationals have played that much there. Even with Strasburg as a California native and resident, both a team official who deals with similar claims and an attorney who handles similar claims didn’t think Strasburg would be eligible, with all their caveats.

However, he has played half his games in the District of Columbia, and the district’s special status often creates some interesting laws. The District does have a cap on Worker’s Comp that’s $1,600 a week. Assuming Strasburg hasn’t burned through all his money, that’s not going to make a difference in his life, but many players will file anyway to maintain their right and the rights of other players. Because Strasburg’s nerve issue could be career ending and prevent him from doing many other jobs, that’s a claim that could be near eternal, which wouldn’t be good for MLB’s central worker’s comp experience. The less claims and payout, the better the rate on their worker’s comp insurance.

All that said, Strasburg’s 2019 contract is going to go down as one of the biggest busts of all time, but Strasburg wasn’t. He was an injury-prone but sublime pitcher who timed things perfectly after a starring role in the World Series. Scott Boras played it into big money, but I hope the contract doesn’t overshadow just how good Strasburg was when healthy. He’s one of few pitchers I’ve ever seen who absolutely dominated, making good hitters look bad and changing approaches like few pitchers at the time. After my first time seeing him in person, I texted a player I knew on the opposing team who had gone 0-3 with two K’s. I asked what the pitches looked like and he replied “I didn’t see them, obviously, but they sounded filthy.”

CHRIS SALE, SP BOS (strained shoulder)