“That really came out of left field,” Rizzo said on Tuesday. “I've never heard of such a thing. I guess he feels he’s entitled to a little more money to make that leap into the majors. He might be right, but the fact is he signed a contract and that’s that. We’re not giving him any more - unless he gets really pissed or something.”

Strasburg made the demand through his agent, Scott Boras. Boras believes his client is a special talent and should be treated accordingly.

“Sure it’s an unusual request, but Stephen is an unusual talent,” Boras said. “Did he already sign a contract that should have covered this? Sure. Was that contract legally binding? Absolutely. Air tight. However, we changed our mind, and we want more money. Got it? Good. Now write that check and make this as painless as possible.”

Not so fast, says Rizzo. The Nationals have no plans to write a check for an additional $15 million, the GM insists, until they’ve had a chance to sit down and talk with Boras and his client.

“Whoa, whoa, back up,” Rizzo said when told of Boras’ comments. “We’re not about to write any check for any amount until we have sat down and discussed this matter with Stephen and Mr. Boras. This is a big investment and you can’t expect us to just write a check without some kind of dog and pony show.”

As for Strasburg, he just wants to play ball and is hoping the two sides can reach an agreement soon.

“I just want to play baseball,” Strasburg said. “Hopefully the team and Scott can come to some kind of agreement so I can put this behind me and concentrate on pitching. I don't even care about the money. Personally, I'd play for free. I would. It's only my agent that's concerned with making more money. That's why I'm probably going to fire him after I make my first hundred million.”

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