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Put on your imaginary general manager hat for a moment (you know you have one) and ponder this tantalizing hypothetical: Matt Harvey of the New York Mets and the Washington Nationals’ Stephen Strasburg are both available for the taking.

Whom do you take?

There isn’t really a wrong answer. They’re two of the top young aces in baseball. And despite a few warts—largely related to injuries—they’re both studs you’d build a franchise around.

Still, as we peer past the forthcoming postseason and toward the offseason, it’s an intriguing question to ponder.

First, let’s get this out of the way: It’s entirely possible, maybe even probable, that Harvey and Strasburg won’t go anywhere this winter.

Strasburg won’t hit the market until 2017, assuming the Nationals don’t extend him first, and Harvey is under the Mets’ control through the 2018 season.

But both players have been the subject of trade speculation.

On Sept. 8, as the controversy surrounding Harvey’s innings limit was reaching critical mass, ESPN’s Buster Olney outlined the case for dealing the 26-year-old right-hander:

For Mets fans who have donned Batman masks and capes for Harvey’s starts, this is all very personal, because they believed he would lead the team’s push toward October. Now, he is apparently ready to sit out the most important games of the season for the sake of his long-term career. It’s a business decision, not personal.

The Mets should also make a business decision this winter: They should trade Harvey.

Since then, Harvey has made two strong starts, including a 6.2-inning, 97-pitch effort Sept. 26 that clinched the National League East for New York.

So you could argue he’s put at least part of the brouhaha behind him. And it sounds like he’s softening on the workload cap he once claimed was a doctor-decreed necessity, according to Adam Rubin of ESPN.com. 

Certainly, the Mets aren’t thinking about anything right now except their first trip to the postseason since 2006. They’re hoping to make a deep run, and Harvey will play a key role.

If the Mets win it all and Harvey plows through October, forget about it. He’ll be in Queens for the foreseeable future.

But what if New York gets bounced early? And what if Harvey pitches only so-so? Then the door would be open, and the Mets would be wise to at least consider dangling him.

A rotation of Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Steven Matz and Jonathon Niese, with Zack Wheeler possibly returning from Tommy John surgery at some point in 2016, should suffice.

And Harvey could bring back at least one impact bat to replace or supplant deadline acquisition Yoenis Cespedes, who may bolt via free agency. Ken Davidoff of the New York Post floated several interesting names, including San Francisco Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford and outfielder Carlos Gonzalez of the Colorado Rockies.

Unlike the Mets, the Nationals have no October glory to look forward to. Instead, they’re drowning in acrimony and infighting as their monumentally disappointing season limps across the finish line.

Still, a Strasburg trade is far from a sure thing. Starters Jordan Zimmermann and Doug Fister will both be free agents this winter. Trading Strasburg on top of that would create massive upheaval in a rotation that was the club’s backbone coming into 2015.

But the Nats have promising arms in the pipeline, including right-hander Lucas Giolito, their No. 1 prospect according to MLB.com.

And like Harvey, Strasburg would yield a haul of prospects or MLB-ready talent. The Nationals and Texas Rangers had “wide-ranging” discussions about the 27-year-old righty last offseason, Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reported, so we know the Nats are at least picking up the phone.

OK, now that we’ve established these trades could go down, let’s return to the original query: Whom do you go after?

There are plenty of parallels between the two. Both are power pitchers just entering their prime. Both shot out of the gate before succumbing to torn ulnar collateral ligaments and Tommy John surgery. They’ve each made All-Star teams, and both have finished in the top 10 in Cy Young balloting.

In terms of career numbers, Strasburg owns a 3.12 ERA with 894 strikeouts in 770.2 innings pitched, while Harvey boasts a 2.57 ERA with 438 strikeouts in 421 innings pitched. If you’re keeping score at home, that gives Strasburg an edge in the strikeouts-per-nine-innings department with a 10.4 mark compared to Harvey’s 9.4.

If you like WAR, Strasburg has amassed 13.5 in six seasons, while Harvey has 11.1 in three campaigns, per Baseball-Reference.

This year, overall, Harvey has a clear edge. His 2.80 ERA shines next to Strasburg’s 3.63, and he’s remained healthy while Strasburg has made multiple trips to the disabled list and battled ankle, neck and back issues.

Lately, however, Strasburg has thrown like the former No. 1 overall pick he is, pitching at least into the eighth inning, allowing three earned runs or fewer and posting double-digit strikeout totals in each of his last four starts.

While the Nationals crash and burn, Strasburg is rising from the ashes.

Potential suitors will be aware of his recent injury troubles and occasionally wobbly performance, but he’s put to rest any doubts that he can be one of the top arms in baseball.

“It’s the best I’ve seen in a couple of years,” Phillies second baseman Andres Blanco said after Strasburg twirled eight innings of no-run, one-hit, 14-strikeout ball against Philadelphia on Sept. 15, per MLB.com’s Bill Ladson. “I think most guys would agree with me. I don’t know, Nolan Ryan? A lot of fastballs, combined with [a] changeup and curveball? Pretty good.”

So now we come down to a question of price tag. If we stipulate that Harvey and Strasburg are equally awesome when healthy, the decision on whom to trade for hinges on who will offer the greater value.

At this point, clearly, Harvey would cost more. Yes, the innings-limit tempest damaged his reputation, but he’s moving away from that. And he’s already surpassed his supposedly prescribed 180-frame cap with no ill effects.

The biggest difference is team control. Strasburg would be a one-year rental, whereas a club could pencil Harvey into its rotation for three more seasons.

That’s a big deal. And while it will surely raise Harvey’s sticker shock, it also makes him a uniquely alluring asset—one who’s worth mortgaging the farm or offloading an All-Star-caliber major league player.

Even with this winter’s deep free-agent pitching class—headlined by David Price, Johnny Cueto and, likely, Zack Greinke—Harvey would attract a gaggle of motivated buyers.

So would Strasburg. That’s why I said upfront there is no wrong answer. If I’m forced to offer one, though, it’s Harvey, for the extra years and lack of post-Tommy John maladies.

Mets fans aren’t weighing this yet because of the playoffs, and Nats fans are too distracted by their team’s embarrassing implosion.

In a few months, though, we’ll all be reaching for our imaginary general manager caps. And some actual GMs should be doing some serious Strasburg-Harvey pondering of their own.

All statistics current as of Sept. 27 and courtesy of MLB.com unless otherwise noted.

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The Washington Nationals needed something.

Some sort of a boost, a spark, whatever, but it had to be the kind of performance that kick-started their stalling, sputtering second half. Because as things stood going into Saturday night, Washington was a flailing club in danger of falling out of arm’s reach of the rival, first-place New York Mets.

While desperation might be a strong word, the Nationals should have felt something similar, despite what a misguided Jayson Werth said this week about the National League East being their division to lose.

Stephen Strasburg was what they needed to quell whatever discouraging recent history they created for themselves. Upon his return from a second prolonged disabled-list hiatus Saturday, the right-hander delivered what other similar recent returns by Anthony Rendon, Ryan Zimmerman and Werth had not.

Aside from a blemish or two, Strasburg was mostly brilliant, dazzling and energizing at home in his seven innings pitched against the Colorado Rockies, and Washington won, 6-1, behind the 27-year-old’s three hits allowed and 12 strikeouts.

It was the 17th time in 123 career starts he reached double-digit strikeouts and the sixth time he did so without issuing a walk. It was the first time since May 12 that his ERA dipped below 5.00.

He retired the last 11 batters he faced and even went 3-for-3 with the bat. The Nationals shared Strasburg’s stat line:

The line on Stephen Strasburg tonight: 7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 12 K — 91 pitches, 65 strikes. #Stras #LikeABoss pic.twitter.com/qQknm01ryt

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) August 9, 2015

Strasburg’s fastball reached 97 mph at times. He located it well and used the threat of it to effectively dash in a quality curveball and the occasional slider and changeup. It was the kind of outing that reminds us why Washington took him as the first overall pick in 2009 and why the club still believes he can be one of the game’s legitimate aces.

Going into Strasburg’s return, the Nationals were 7-13 in their last 20 games. That stretch included being swept by the Mets—the reason they now trail them by 1.5 games in the NL East and are four games out of the second wild-card spot with the Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants ahead of them.

Those 20 games have also seen Rendon, Zimmerman and Werth come off the DL, yet the team still has a losing record since their return.

And the vaunted pitching staff the team was supposed to have this season had a 4.19 ERA in those games as it has been anything but historically dominant over the entire summer.

That is why Strasburg, healthy and good, means so much to Washington over the final 52 games, of which he is on track to start 10.

“He’s got to be a critical piece,” former major league pitcher and current ESPN analyst Dallas Braden said on the network. “This is a team that is finding themselves going in the opposite direction than we all thought they would be at this point in the year. To get a healthy Stephen Strasburg back, we know what he can do. He’s only going to add punch to that rotation, and they’re going to need him.”

Strasburg looked like he did Saturday after his first DL trip back in June. After recovering from a trapezius strain, Strasburg made two healthy starts. He threw 12 innings, allowed two runs and struck out 15 while walking two. His average fastball velocity in those outings was 96.6 mph, according to the team’s MASN broadcast. It normally sits at 95.2 mph for the season, according to Baseball Info Solutions (h/t FanGraphs).

But in his third start back, Strasburg strained his oblique.

It is now five weeks later, but the Nationals have lost 5.5 games in the standings within that time. In the second half, the rotation has a 3.87 ERA, a pedestrian seventh in the NL. Part of the reason for that is ace Max Scherzer is no longer carrying the other four starting pitchers.

In his four second-half starts, he has a 3.38 ERA through 24 innings, and while he is averaging six innings in those outings, it is far from the 7.1 innings he averaged over his 18 first-half turns.

Doug Fister, who was arguably the team’s best pitcher down the stretch last season and into October, has a 4.60 ERA this season. And in his eight starts since returning from the DL this season, his ERA is 4.86. Strasburg’s return boots Fister to the bullpen, and that alone should help the rotation’s bottom line.

For now, Strasburg has to combine with Scherzer, Jordan Zimmermann, Joe Ross and Gio Gonzalez to propel Washington back into playoff position.

“We’re happy to have Strasy back in the rotation,” manager Matt Williams told reporters Friday. “He’s feeling good. He’s got the ability to go out there and shut anybody down on any given day. We’ll hope for that, prepare and see if we can get them.”

Strasburg has a couple of handfuls of starts remaining to help the Nationals do so.

All quotes, unless otherwise specified, have been acquired firsthand by Anthony Witrado. Follow Anthony on Twitter @awitrado and talk baseball here.

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The Washington Nationals activated ace Stephen Strasburg off the disabled list Friday after more than a month on the shelf due to a strained left oblique, and he twirled a gem Saturday evening in his first MLB start since July 4. 

Matched up against the Colorado Rockies, Strasburg recorded a season-high 12 strikeouts while allowing just three hits and an earned run over the course of seven innings in the Nationals’ 6-1 win. He also didn’t walk a single batter in the triumphant effort. It was the first time Strasburg struck out at least 10 batters since August 3 of last season, per ESPN Stats & Info.  

Strasburg has now recorded at least 10 strikeouts in a game 17 times over the course of his career, according to MLB.com’s William Ladson. 

“His stuff was electric today,” Rockies right fielder Carlos Gonzalez said, according to Ladson. “His fastball was moving a lot with velocity and his breaking ball was really good, too. It’s really sharp. It looks like it’s going to be around the strike zone and then it goes down quick to the ground.”

Along with his stellar performance on the mound, Strasburg also cleaned up at the plate. The 27-year-old went 3-for-3 with three singles, which was a career high. 

According to the Elias Sports Bureau (via ESPN Stats & Info) Strasburg became the first pitcher in franchise history to tally 10 strikeouts and three hits in the same game. 

CSNWashington.com’s Mark Zuckerman provided another staggering stat: 

“It was the kind of outing that reminds us why the Nationals took him as the first overall pick in 2009 and why they still believe he can be one of the game’s legitimate aces,” Bleacher Report’s Anthony Witrado wrote. 

Strasburg indicated earlier in the week that he was rounding into form physically, so his dominant outing didn’t come as a complete shock.

“I feel good,” Strasburg said after recording 11 strikeouts in his last rehabilitation start, according to the Associated Press (via ESPN.com). “Stuff’s there, so it’s just trying to keep doing the same things and keep working at all the stuff I’ve been doing. I’m going in the right direction.”

However, it should be noted Strasburg was matched up against a Rockies offense that performs far worse on the road than it does within the friendly confines of Coors Field. 

Although Colorado entered the night ranked first in the National League in runs scored, total bases and RBI, it ranks 11th, ninth and 11th in those same categories on the road, respectively. 

In addition to spending nearly the entire month of July on the disabled list with a strained oblique, Strasburg was sidelined for almost all of June with neck tightness. But with his recent return from the DL and fantastic display Saturday, the right-hander may be putting those injury concerns behind him.

With Strasburg seemingly back at full strength, the Nationals should be feeling good as they seek to reclaim first place in the NL East from the surging New York Mets.

“Hopefully, this kind of bad luck he’s been having, hopefully, he will get rid of those [injuries] and be that guy for the next two-and-a-half months,” Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman said, per Ladson. “That was special.”

Washington’s starters entered Saturday night with the sixth-best ERA in the NL, but if the 2014 NL strikeout leader can keep setting down batters the way he did against the Rockies, he will significantly bolster a rotation that already boasts Max Scherzer, Jordan Zimmerman and Gio Gonzalez.

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Stephen Strasburg‘s difficult year for the Washington Nationals got a little more harsh, as the right-hander left Saturday’s game against the San Francisco Giants with a side injury.

Continue for updates. 

Strasburg Leaves in 4th Inning vs. Giants

Saturday, July 4

The Nationals announced Strasburg will be re-evaluated on Sunday after experiencing tightness in his side. Dan Kolko of MASN went into further detail on Strasburg, “Strasburg felt tightness during the Posey AB. Trying to keep positive mindset despite all the injuries. “Everything happens for a reason.”

Strasburg recently returned from missing one month with neck and back issues, so another injury could completely derail a season that’s barely on track already. 

The former No. 1 overall pick has struggled all season, posting a 5.49 ERA with 72 hits allowed in 57.1 innings. He is still striking out plenty of hitters, with 60 strikeouts coming into the day, but consistency has not been his friend thus far.   

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See if this sounds familiar: A young power pitcher has a career year for a division-winning National League club. The next season, however, his performance drops off precipitously, injuries bite and the hand-wringing begins.

Yes, we’re talking about Stephen Strasburg, who left Friday’s game between the Washington Nationals and Cincinnati Reds in the second inning with “a tight muscle in his neck,” per MLB.com‘s Bill Ladson. 

But we could also be conjuring Mark Prior, the former Chicago Cubs stud who rose as far and as fast as Strasburg before a steep and tragic fall.

First, let’s get back to Strasburg: Even before’s Friday’s early exit, the 26-year-old right-hander was having a disastrous campaign.

Entering the start against Cincinnati, Strasburg owned an unsightly 6.50 ERA, and that didn’t even paint the whole, ugly picture, as MLB.com’s Andrew Simon notes:

The neck issue marks the second time Strasburg has dealt with an injury this season. On May 5, he left a game against the Miami Marlins with a balky back. He made his next scheduled start May 12 against the Arizona Diamondbacks and proceeded to cough up seven earned runs in 3.1 innings.

Yes, we’re talking about a couple of rough months. They don’t erase Strasburg’s brilliant 2014, when he posted a 3.14 ERA and paced the National League with 242 strikeouts in 215 innings.

But this feels like more than a calamitous blip or a temporary funk. It feels ominous, like smoke pouring from the engine of a finely tuned sports car.

And, most troublingly, it calls to mind the sad saga of the aforementioned Chicago ace. 

In 2003, you’ll recall, Prior racked up 245 strikeouts in 211.1 innings, remarkably similar to Strasburg’s 2014 totals. 

That year, Chicago vaulted to the NLCS but fell just short of a World Series trip, losing to an underdog wild-card team. The eerie parallels continue. 

The next season, Prior missed time with an Achilles injury. When he came back, his ERA ballooned. More injuries and an eventual shoulder surgery followed, and by 2007 Prior was out of the big leagues for good.

And here’s where we arrive at a strange twist in the Prior/Strasburg comparison. In 2012, the Nats controversially elected to shut down Strasburg in September, even though they were in the thick of the playoff hunt and wound up winning the NL East but losing in the division series.

Washington did it because Strasburg, who underwent Tommy John surgery in 2010, was on an innings limit to help preserve his arm for the long haul.

That mindset, in part, was a reaction to Prior’s fate, as Sports Illustrated‘s Cliff Corcoran spells out:

Despite his abbreviated career, Prior has a significant legacy within the game. Beyond his place in the narrative of the Cubs’ continued misfortunes, his injuries proved to be the flashpoint in the increased sensitivity to pitch counts around the game. The need to protect pitchers’ arms from fatigue was a battle that many in the advanced analysis community were already fighting before Prior came into the league, but the confluence of his heavy workloads in 2003 and his subsequent injuries made that message sink in within the game.

Now, despite treating Strasburg with kid gloves, Washington faces the very real possibility that the former No. 1 overall pick is damaged goods.

We don’t mean to be overly fatalistic. The news on this latest injury isn’t nearly as bad as it could have been. There’s still time for Strasburg to click back into gear.

The stuff has been there, intermittently, as Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo told MLB.com‘s Ladson.

“When he is feeling healthy and he says he is healthy, his stuff shows me that he is healthy, [and] he is proven to be one of the top pitchers in the league,” Rizzo said, per Ladson. “I think he hasn’t pitched the way he wants to. We have seen flashes of it, but he hasn’t been consistent enough.”

The consistency may return, along with the dominance. But with each meltdown start, each new twinge and setback, the rumble of concern will grow louder. The fears will ratchet up. The memories of fallen aces, of the Mark Priors, will keep nagging.

Stephen Strasburg’s story isn’t written yet. Right now, though, he’s in the midst of a troubling chapter.

All statistics current as of May 29 and courtesy of MLB.com unless otherwise noted. 

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2015 has been a year to forget for Washington Nationals starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg, and his season took a turn for the worse Friday night. Strasburg exited the team’s game against the Cincinnati Reds with a neck injury after just one full inning, and he’s since been placed on the disabled list. 

Continue for updates. 

Strasburg Placed on 15-Day DL

Saturday, May 30

Kyle Brostowitz of MLB.com reported that Strasburg was placed on the 15-day DL with neck tightness. Right-handed pitcher Taylor Hill was recalled to the majors, according to Brostowitz. Dan Kolko of MASN reported that the team is “perplexed” as to the cause of the tightness.

Kolko noted that the Nats hope their ace will only be on the DL for the minimum of 15 days, but that they need to figure out the cause of the issue. “Could be a result of mechanics getting thrown off from spring ankle sprain. But the fact this back/neck issue is on left side is confusing,” Kolko wrote. 

On May 29, William Ladson of MLB.com reported Strasburg has neck muscle tightness. 

ESPN Stats and Info noted that the DL stint is the fourth in Strasburg’s young career, and that while one was for Tommy John surgery, each of the others saw him out for at least 20 days. 

The 26-year-old is currently mired in a dreadful start. Entering Friday, he was 3-5 in nine starts with a 6.50 earned run average. According to FanGraphs, he had a 3.64 FIP, which showed that his ERA is somewhat deceiving. ESPN’s Buster Olney also presented stats signifying that the Nationals’ poor defense was having a major effect on Strasburg’s performance:

Still, he’s striking out fewer batters per nine innings while allowing more walks and home runs than he did last year. 

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SAN DIEGO — Smoke still pouring into the desert sky from the Diamondbacks’ scorching of Stephen Strasburg the other day, the Nationals nevertheless remain white-hot.

But (whisper voice here) might they be, you know, finally ready to give up on Strasburg given his current 6.06 ERA and 1.71 WHIP while coming off statistically the worst start of his career (eight runs, seven earned in 3.1 innings)?

“He’s got a 3.03 ERA over the past five years, which is right in the top five in baseball,” pitching coach Steve McCatty said. “Yep, we’re ready to stop believing in him.”

The coach was grinning as he spoke Thursday, the kind of smile that is half-joking and half-incredulous.

Keep calm and McCatty on.

Since the Nationals made Strasburg the first overall pick in baseball in 2009, every move the guy makes has been magnified and dissected. Both the erstwhile ace and the club are acutely aware of that.

But while McCatty’s stats are just a bit off—Strasburg’s 3.03 ERA over 97 starts since returning from Tommy John surgery in 2011 entering this season actually stood tied for 14th in the majors, according to STATS LLC—his point is well taken.

No, the Nationals are not overly concerned (yet) with Strasburg’s early struggles.

McCatty’s own scientific deduction?

“You make 34 starts a year, usually in seven or eight you’re going to get your ass beat,” McCatty, now in his seventh season as Nationals pitching coach, told Bleacher Report. “Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee had it happen.

“And at some point, it’s going to happen to Matt Harvey and Jacob deGrom.”

Yes, Strasburg’s fastball velocity is down a tick, averaging 94 mph this year as compared to closer to 95 mph last year. And Strasburg mostly still hasn’t lived up to expectations, but is that because he’s underachieved, or is it because the expectations always have been so absurdly high?

He tied Cincinnati’s Johnny Cueto for the National League lead last summer with 242 strikeouts and led the Nationals with 215 innings pitched. The problem in the Arizona debacle, McCatty thinks, is two-fold. For one thing, Strasburg threw more sliders and off-speed pitches than the game plan called for. And he left far too many of those up in the zone.

“That was surprising to me,” said McCatty, who talked with Strasburg about that—and other things—in the past 48 hours. “That’s what he got hurt on.”

Other thing is, McCatty said, missing 10 days this spring with a sprained ankle set Strasburg back. Not only did he miss time, but when he did come back, his ankle had to be taped with each start. McCatty believes that pitchers are so finely tuned that a different feel, like a taped ankle, can make them alter their mechanics ever so slightly.

Two starts ago, Strasburg was removed after just three innings with a sore muscle in his back. Initial reports were that he had a sore shoulder, which, of course, caused even more alarm. But McCatty said it was a muscle just under his shoulder blade, which is why the “sore shoulder” tag rocketed through the atmosphere so quickly.

The result of rolling his ankle this spring, McCatty said, was that Strasburg “opened up a little” mechanically instead of driving hard toward the plate in finishing his pitches. Wouldn’t you know it, the Arizona start Tuesday was Strasburg’s first of the season without the ankle tape. So despite the alarming results, McCatty is chalking it up to Strasburg still searching for his groove.

“It happens,” McCatty said. “You know what this is? It’s baseball.”

One person close to Strasburg thinks the pitcher is too humble, that he’s such a nice and unassuming guy that he doesn’t always take his game to the hitter. Instead, the person said, Strasburg sometimes lets hitters dictate outcomes.

When Strasburg relies too much on his off-speed pitches, perhaps there is some truth in this theory. Even though he no longer has a fastball that reaches 100 or 99 mph, it can still be a devastating pitch—particularly when he is locating it properly.

The Nationals think in the long run that ace Max Scherzer will be good for Strasburg on many levels, from the way he competes to simply sharing ideas and strategies.

“It’s still so early in the season,” Scherzer, who noted that the two have talked a little bit, told Bleacher Report. “I’m still getting to know his pitching style, his strengths, his weaknesses.”

Part of that, Scherzer said, is figuring out Strasburg’s avenues to success. What is his swing-and-miss out pitch? How does he follow scouting reports? How does he adjust, in-game and between starts?

Strasburg said he’s talked a little with Scherzer, but also with fellow starters Jordan Zimmermann, Gio Gonzalez and Doug Fister.

“I’m always open to learning something from anybody,” Strasburg told Bleacher Report on Thursday. “Max has had a lot of success.”

This not only is the worst start of Strasburg’s career; it is the worst stretch he has ever endured.

But it also wasn’t that long ago that he fanned the most batters by a D.C. pitcher in 101 years. Those 242 strikeouts last year? Not since Walter “The Big Train” Johnson struck out 243 in 1913 has a Washington pitcher caused that much of a breeze.

“I’m going to stay positive and keep doing my thing,” Strasburg said. “As a pitcher, you’re going to go through situations like this in your career.

“You just have to keep battling and get better.”

To that extent, one knock on Strasburg—and this goes back to his humble nature and, at times, it appears, lack of competitive fire—is his continual bad body language on the mound when things are going poorly.

“We’ve talked about it,” McCatty said. “That has been discussed.

“Like I tell him, ‘Take it with your head held high and your shoulders up. Take an ass beating like a man. When you go down, go down with your guns firing.’”

Too often, there is silent abdication when things are not going well, and that’s the part about having talent as high as the Washington Monument that doesn’t always add up.

So it’s back to the drawing board yet again for the would-be ace and the team that remains the overwhelming favorite to win the NL East. (McCatty also says he has seen no evidence of winter trade rumors distracting his pitcher.)

Strasburg next pitches Sunday in Petco Park, just a few miles away from where he starred at San Diego State University for the beloved late coach and Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn.

You would think that the combination of a rough start, a pounding in Arizona and the sheer pride of wanting to do well in front of a hometown crowd should align the stars in Strasburg’s favor.

Then again, with the enigmatic Strasburg, you can never be sure.

“Everybody is wired differently,” McCatty said. “That’s with everybody. That’s not unique to him.”

Trust yourself, McCatty preaches. Trust your ability.

The pitching coach has faith that Strasburg again will, and that the results will show it.

Scott Miller covers Major League Baseball as a national columnist for Bleacher Report.

Follow Scott on Twitter and talk baseball.

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Although the Washington Nationals added starting pitcher Max Scherzer in the offseason, Stephen Strasburg is a key member of the team’s starting rotation and an expected front-line starter. Losing him is one of the last things the team needs, but Strasburg suffered a shoulder injury Tuesday in a 2-1 loss to the visiting Miami Marlins.

Continue for updates.

Strasburg Exits Early vs. Marlins

Tuesday

ESPN.com reported that the team removed Strasburg from the game after three innings of work due to a shoulder injury. Dan Kolko of MASN reported that the issue is under Strasburg’s shoulder blade, according to manager Matt Williams, and that the pitcher will be evaluated by the chiropractor Wednesday.

Strasburg added after the game, per Mark Zuckerman of CSN, that “The best way I can put it: You’re driving a car fast over speed bumps. The irritation kind of rattles the cage a little bit.”

When fans see “Strasburg” and “injury” in the same sentence, most will think back to his elbow injury and subsequent Tommy John surgery in 2010. They’ll also remember the Nationals’ decision to shut down Strasburg in 2012 ahead of the playoffs.

Since then, though, the 26-year-old has been a model of consistency, making a combined 64 starts over the past two seasons. He’s also shown few lingering effects from his elbow injury, making the All-Star Game in 2012 and finishing ninth in the National League Cy Young Award voting in 2014.

Washington looks to be one of the stronger teams in the NL, despite its rocky 13-15 start, and Strasburg is a somewhat significant reason for that. He’s in the prime of his career and part of arguably the best rotation in baseball.

The Nationals’ World Series hopes don’t rest solely on a healthy Strasburg, but there’s no question that having him on the mound would put them in a good position to exorcise those postseason demons from 2012.

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The signing of free agent Max Scherzer to a seven-year, $210 million contract improved the Washington Nationals’ starting rotation from arguably the best to undoubtedly the best in baseball.

The Nats will enter the 2015 season with three No. 1 starters in Scherzer, Jordan Zimmermann and Stephen Strasburg, with Gio Gonzalez, Doug Fister and Tanner Roark “filling out” the staff. However, the Scherzer signing also led to speculation that the Nats now might be more inclined to trade from their pitching depth.

Jon Morosi of Fox Sports tweeted that Washington would be willing to deal either Zimmermann or Strasburg if they landed Scherzer, which makes sense, as Zimmermann is set to become a free agent after the 2015 season and likely to command a monster free-agent contract, while Strasburg is set to follow in his footsteps the following year.

But there’s one other major reason the Nationals seemingly are willing to consider dealing young talents such as Zimmermann and Strasburg: They have baseball’s top pitching prospect in 20-year-old right-hander Lucas Giolito.

Giolito was viewed as a candidate to go No. 1 overall in the 2012 draft after the right-hander lit up radar guns with his fastball and dropped jaws with his curveball early in the spring for Harvard-Westlake High School (California).

Unfortunately, Giolito suffered a strained ligament in his right elbow roughly two months into the season and was shut down indefinitely. He avoided surgery, but the injury ultimately cost Giolito the remainder of his high school campaign and the chance to be the first prep right-hander drafted No. 1 overall.

Yet even though Giolito missed most of the spring, the Washington Nationals still selected the right-hander with the No. 16 overall selection in the 2012 draft and offered him a $2.925 million signing bonus.

Making his first professional start later that summer, Giolito made it just two innings in the game before his elbow flared up once again. This time, however, there would be no rest and rehab, as he was forced to undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery.

After 10 months on the shelf, Giolito returned to the mound late in the 2013 season to post a 1.96 ERA with 39 strikeouts in 36.2 innings between the Gulf Coast and New York-Penn Leagues.

Suffice it to say, expectations were high for Giolito headed into 2014. Amazingly, the 20-year-old did not disappoint.

In his first full season back from surgery, not to mention his first full season as a professional, Giolito led the Low-A South Atlantic League (among pitchers with 90 innings) in ERA (2.20), strikeout percentage (28.5 percent) and opponents’ batting average (.196), per FanGraphs. The Nationals shut down the right-hander after 98 innings due to the organization’s protocol with young pitchers rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, according to Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post.

“Getting that first year out of the way, it was kind of a special situation for me,” Giolito said via Byron Kerr of MASNSports.com. “Because it was my first full year of pro ball and it was my first year back from Tommy John. Now I’m fully healthy and the surgery is well behind me. And I’m a little bit more experienced. I have been a pro for about three years now. I have a full year under my belt. I feel prepared for what’s next to come.”

When I saw Giolito make his second start of the 2014 season for Low-A Hagerstown, the 20-year-old fired five shutout innings against Low-A Lakewood, allowing one hit and one walk with six strikeouts.

He never threw more than 17 pitches in an inning and needed only 61 to complete the outing. The lone hit he surrendered was a two-out double to Samuel Hiciano in the third inning. Besides that, it was mostly strikeouts and weak contact (six groundouts, one flyout).

Giolito throws both a two- and four-seam fastball, with the latter consistently registering in the 94 to 96 mph range and the two-seamer at 91 to 93. Based on velocity alone, the pitch grades as a 65 or 70 (on the 20-80 scouting scale), but everything about Giolito—his size, mechanics, arm action, prior workload—suggests that more velocity will come with development. It doesn’t take much to envision him sitting in the upper 90s by the time he reaches the major leagues.

In terms of usage, Giolito throws more four-seamers to left-handed batters, and he does a nice job changing hitters’ eye levels vertically so as to set up both secondary offerings. He’ll overthrow a few of them over the course of a game, ripping open with his glove side and falling off toward first base, but he’s cognizant of his mechanics and therefore is quick to make adjustments during subsequent pitches.

Giolito’s curveball is possibly the best I’ve personally scouted in the last four years—a future 75 offering. Working from the same over-the-top arm angle as his fastball, he throws the pitch in the 76 to 83 mph range with legitimate 12-to-6 break and sharp, downer bite.

He shows the ability to add and subtract with the pitch depending on the batter and count, consistently throwing it 78 to 81 mph for a called strike and then throwing a harder-biting version at 82 to 83 mph when vying for a whiff.

Meanwhile, the consistency and effectiveness of Giolito’s changeup was a pleasant surprise last season. The right-hander threw the pitch only three times when I saw him in April, but each time, he delivered it with a deceptive arm action and good speed differential in the low 80s. Giolito’s changeup grades as at least a future grade-60 offering, giving him three pitches which project as above average or better at maturity.

Giolito spoke in depth with Kerr about the pitch:

The changeup, when I was throwing it in high school, it wasn’t really a pitch I went to. I didn’t really have a good feel for it. After surgery, it kind of just came to me. I came back from my throwing program and my changeup was already in the workings of being there. I could throw it consistently for a strike.

Since then, I have been hammering it out. I really feel that it’s one of my stronger pitches. It’s a go to pitch in any count. I threw it 3-1 and 2-0 a lot last year. I feel that when you throw (it) in those kind of situations, you have a lot of success.

A lot can happen to any 20-year-old pitcher between A-ball and the time he reaches the major leagues. In Giolito’s case, the right-hander should have the chance to be a legitimate No. 1 starter at maturity so long as he stays healthy and continues down his current developmental path.

Both Giolito and the Nationals say that the right-hander is 100 percent healthy heading into 2015. However, that doesn’t mean he’ll be rushed up the ladder to the major leagues—not even if the team ultimately decides to trade Zimmermann or Strasburg.

“We understand the development process for someone coming off his surgery,” said Mark Scialabba, the Nationals’ director of player development, via Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post.

“We have to understand there are still goals to reach. We are going to proceed like with our previous players who have gone through this surgery, but also understand that he’s a special, unique talent.”

The Nationals’ pitching depth, even if the team makes a trade, will allow them to develop Giolito cautiously and thoroughly. Therefore, he likely will begin 2015 at High-A Potomac in the Carolina League, and if all goes as planned with his development, the right-hander should log some time at Double-A Harrisburg, too.

The organization might play it by ear after that, but all signs point to Giolito reaching the major leagues sometime during the 2016 season.

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The question isn’t whether anyone wants Stephen Strasburg. Everyone wants a 26-year-old budding ace who just led the National League in strikeouts.

The question is whether anyone will pay what it takes to get him.

Make no mistake: it’ll take a lot. 

Exactly how much is unclear, but CSN Washington‘s Chase Hughes was probably understating it when he suggested “a significant haul of prospects.”

Essentially, to land one of baseball’s best young arms, any potential suitor would have to sell the farm—literally. Is he worth it?

First, let’s address the recent comments by Strasburg‘s agent, Scott Boras, who batted down rumors that his client wants out of D.C. after the Washington Nationals inked Max Scherzer (who Boras also, coincidentally, represents).

Here’s the notorious super-agent, per Hughes: “Stephen Strasburg wants to play here and wants to be with Max Scherzer and grow. … I spoke to [Nationals general manager] Mike [Rizzo] and the people when we signed Max. And they said that they have every intention of keeping this pitching staff intact.”

Two things. First, add up the number of times Scott Boras has publicly told less than the truth and…well, report back after Labor Day.

Second, everyone is for sale for the right price.

Yes, it’s entirely possible—even plausible—that Washington wants to keep its new super-rotation intact for 2015. 

But with Scherzer in the fold for the next seven years to the tune of $210 million, surely the Nationals will at least listen to offers for Strasburg, as well as Doug Fister and Jordan Zimmermann.

Fister and Zimmermann are the more obvious trade candidates since each has only one year left on his contract. If they aren’t moved this winter, expect both names to pop up again at the July trade deadline.

But that’s exactly what makes Strasburg such a valuable target. He’s under team control for three more years and will earn “only” $7.4 million next season.

OK, so assuming Strasburg could be had for a crazy, farm-depleting package, let’s return to the question: Is he worth it?

On the surface, the answer seems simple.

At the risk of repetition, the kid just led the NL in strikeouts. He’s got a crackling fastball that can touch triple digits, complemented by nasty breaking stuff and a changeup he relied on more heavily last season than at any point in his MLB career, per FanGraphs. 

He may be one of many studs in the Nats‘ stable, but he’d headline most rotations.

Hang on, though; there are red flags.

There’s the Tommy John surgery Strasburg underwent in 2010 and the subsequent, controversial workload limitations that sparked doubts about his durability.

Yes, he put some of those doubts to rest by eclipsing 200 innings for the first time in 2014, but here’s some context: Three-time NL Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw is just four months older than Strasburg, while three-time World Series champion Madison Bumgarner is eleven months younger. 

Sure, those are rough comparisons for any pitcher. That’s the point; it puts Strasburg‘s early career in perspective.

Good as he’s been, his value is still based more on potential than results. 

On the other hand, potential may be an underrated asset in this era of instant gratification, as Neil Weinberg argued last May for Daily Gammons:

Strasburg is just another example of the prospect fatigue epidemic going around. Mike Trout ruined us. No one is allowed to grow into their potential anymore before we start deciding what will be written on their tombstones. … Strasburg was a phenomenal pitching prospect. A generational talent, to be sure. But prospect status is a reflection of who the player is going to be over the course of their career, not who they are going to be right then and there. 

Weinberg goes on to convincingly make the case that Strasburg is already an elite arm (and this was before his exemplary 2014 campaign). Soon enough, he concludes, Strasburg “might be wrestling the crown away from Kershaw.”

That’s a lofty projection. The fact that it’s not laughable speaks to Strasburg‘s ceiling.

Will he reach it? Will it be in a Nats uniform?

And most pressingly, is anyone willing to pay enough to find out?

All statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference unless otherwise noted.

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