MLB Twitter react to Washington Nationals cancelling Stephen Strasburg's retirement ceremony - "Failed the retirement physical"

The Washington Nationals were planning a retirement ceremony for 2019 World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg, but it has now been cancelled. The ceremony was scheduled for Sept. 9 and was cancelled on Sept. 7. Considering he was an extremely important part of the Nationals championship team, this ceremony being cancelled is raising red flags.

If any player on the Nationals deserves the bells and whistles of a retirement ceremony, it is Strasburg. He was one of the best pitchers in baseball during the championship run until injuries derailed his career. Now they have ended his career. The team initially agreed to pay out the rest of his contract when he retires, but it seems they are trying to change the terms.

Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic was the first to report on the ceremony cancellation, as well as the reason why.

This is a bad look for the Nationals, who are already considered to be one of the stingier franchises in MLB. If they wanted to negotiate the buyout from the outset, that would be one thing, but trying to change the terms of the deal just days before the ceremony is unfair. It would be unfair towards any player, let alone one who should be hailed as a franchise great.

For Nationals fans, the 2019 World Series victory over the Houston Astros was the pinnacle of the fandom. The players on that team have become legends, with many still dominating today. Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Juan Soto and Max Scherzer are among the stars on that team. However, they are all still playing, while it is time for Stephen Strasburg to retire. And fans want the team to do right by him.

Teams that win championships are often revered by the franchise with an immense amount of respect. However, the ceremony being moved over a contract dispute is not the sign of respect that retirement ceremonies are meant to be.

Stephen Strasburg isn't walking into the sunset that he was expecting, and financial hold-ups seem to be the reason.

Stephen Strasburg's retirement ceremony being cancelled could be a sign of chaos in Washington

This comes just shortly after the Nationals fired multiple members of their scouting department. They are also trying to sign general manager Mike Rizzo to an extension, but those talks have reportedly stalled.

Also, the team is up for sale and could be sold before the start of next season. To put it simply, there is a lot going on in Washington. Stephen Strasburg's ceremony was a casualty of this, but will hopefully be resolved soon.