Written by Michael Huling
On Monday, the World Series Champion Washington Nationals agreed to an enormous contract with World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg. The deal is worth $245 million over seven years, giving Strasburg a cool $35 million per year. Both of those numbers are records for a pitcher, showing just how valuable Strasburg is to the Nationals.
Stephen Strasburg’s deal with the Washington Nationals is for seven years and $245 million, a source tells ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 9, 2019
Continuing his impressive career, Strasburg had a dominant 2019 season. He went 18-6 with a 3.32 ERA, 1.038 WHIP, 138 ERA+, 251 strikeouts, and 6.3 WAR in 209 innings pitched. While Strasburg has been brilliant in each season that he’s been healthy, this may have been his best year yet, especially considering how well he pitched in the postseason against some of the best teams in baseball. As I wrote after Strasburg won World Series MVP:
“In 36.1 innings this postseason, Strasburg was 5-0 with a 1.98 ERA and 47 strikeouts to just five walks. His WHIP was 0.94 and opposing batters hit just .221 off of him. In the World Series, Strasburg was 2-0 with a 2.51 ERA, 1.047 WHIP, 14 strikeouts, and three walks. By one metric (FIP-), Fangraphs ranked Strasburg’s 2019 postseason run as the fourth best ever for a starting pitcher.”
In light of all this and the Nationals winning their first World Series as a franchise, it’s easy to see why Strasburg was rewarded so handsomely. He isn’t just one of the best pitchers in the league, he’s one of the best players in all of baseball.
In the near future, Houston Astros star pitcher Gerrit Cole may end up breaking the contractual records achieved by Strasburg. It’s unclear where Cole will sign, though the Astros, Yankees, Dodgers, and Angels remain the frontrunners to acquire him. Regardless, nothing can take away from Strasburg’s masterful season and career—and his contract shows just that.
