Silent Treatment May Pay Off for Nats

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IT IS SUPPOSED to be the highest-stakes negotiations in the brief history of the Washington Nationals.

Yet here we sit days before Monday's deadline and there is nary a peep about Stephen Strasburg's status.

When the former San Diego State ace was drafted, agent Scott Boras more or less proclaimed the prospect God's gift to baseball and said he expected unworldly compensation. The number floated was $50 million back in June.

Since then, Boras and the Nats have been tight-lipped. Presumably, they are both waiting for the drop-dead date to reach a deal.

The alternative is a bust for both sides.

Strasburg doesn't want to pass on whatever record amount Washington is offering. What if his high-priced arm gets hurt while he waits to re-enter the draft next year? The Nationals, too, have a lot on the line. Mostly, their reputation, as in the organization needs to prove it can deliver on adding talent to its relatively barren system.

By running on silent mode, interim GM Mike Rizzo at least has not alienated Boras and Strasburg. There should be no ill will when the real talks pick up.

Silence, in this case, may be golden. And if it's not, there is going to be a whole lot of shouting from the Nationals in the days that follow.

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