Speculations are coming out that Stephen Strasburg, the highly touted No. 1 pick in the 2009 MLB Draft may not break with the Nationals at the end of Spring Training. All this is coming after being selected last June as people started asking if he would make his MLB debut during the 2009 season. Of course, he didn’t. That was likely as much due to the fact that it took over two months to sign him as it was his youth.

The Nationals signed Strasburg to a four-year, $15.1 million contract that included a $7.5 million signing bonus. After the long holdout, all talk about possibly seeing Strasburg in the majors went out the window, and he only made his debut with the Phoenix Desert Dogs in the Arizona Fall League. He finished with a 4-1 record and a 4.26 ERA with 23 strikeouts. Not great numbers, but definitely above the pack in wins and K’s.

Strasburg does not yet deserve to be paid millions more than so many other players. What has he done to earn it? The media frenzy that created so much interest in him was instigated by the media, not his fastball. Until he breaks every pitching record at the major league level, he’s worth just as much as the other 14 pitchers selected in the first round and signed by their respective clubs. Right now, he’s just another arm fighting for a spot in the rotation.

MLB seriously needs to consider putting a cap on the amount a draft pick can sign for. Not only will teams be more able to afford the unproven prospects, but many will sign a lot sooner and teams can get a look at them earlier. Paying out eight figures to a player who may never make the major leagues is an embarrassment. And while that’s not a probability in Strasburg’s case, it certainly is a possibility. If he doesn’t find himself part of the Nationals’ rotation, all the hype surrounding his name will be lost, and the Nationals may not be able to bear another setback like that.