Stephen Strasburg, Dustin Ackley Have Until Midnight to Sign with MLB Teams

The Washington Nationals and No. 1 pick Stephen Strasburg have until midnight Monday to sign a deal, according to Major League Baseball.

Strasburg, the 100-mph fastball pitcher from San Diego State, has been in contract negotiations for months, along with agent Scott Boras. However, the two sides have yet to come to an agreement.

If Strasburg, the No. 1 pick in the 2009 MLB Draft, is not signed by midnight, he can go back to school and enter the 2010 MLB Draft next year. At that point, his draft rights will no longer belong to the Nationals organization.

Nationals President Stan Kasten has declined to say how much the Nationals have offered. The record for a draft pick is $10.5 million, given to right-hander Mark Prior by the Chicago Cubs in 2001.

However, Boras has publicly cited that he wanted a deal similar to international sensation Daisuke Matsusaka, who got a $52 million contract from the Boston Red Sox in December 2006.

Last year, the Nats drafted right-handed pitcher Aaron Crow, the Big 12 Player of the Year from Missouri, but the two sides couldn't agree on a contract. The Nationals offered $3.5 million and Crow wanted $4 million, so he went back into the draft and the Nationals were awarded a replacement pick this year.

Crow played for the Fort Worth Cats of the independent American Association this season until he was selected by the Kansas City Royals in June. He remains unsigned by the Royals, but he has until a week before next year's draft to reach an agreement because he was drafted from an independent league.

The decisions have important ramifications for both sides. The Nationals must determine whether Strasburg is truly worth an increase in price and suffer the opportunity to lose a second consecutive first round pick. Strasburg could not sign, but risks injury over the next year, as well as not being guaranteed to make the money that he expects next year.

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