Stephen Strasburg is calling it a career after more than a decade with the Washington Nationals, one in which he has had incredible highs and more than his fair share of injury issues. Since winning World Series MVP honors in 2019, a year in which he racked up an 18-6 record across 209 innings pitched, Strasburg has been on the mound just five times for 30.2 innings of work.
As his arm issues have continued to keep him off of the mound, the former No. 1 overall pick, who set the baseball world ablaze in his first ever start, has decided to retire. While he won’t be pitching anymore, he will still be compensated quite well by the Nationals, as he’s in the fourth year of a 7-year, $245 million deal he signed after that World Series performance. According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Strasburg’s deal with the Nationals was completely uninsured and fully guaranteed, meaning he will still collect all of the money he’s still owed through 2026, plus some deferment checks the Nationals used to stretch out the cost of his contract through 2029.
Stephen Strasburg will continue be paid $35 million annually through 2026 (with about $11.4M deferred each year).
He then will receive $26.6M in 2027, 2028 and 2029 in his owed deferred payments.
The contract was not insured, leaving the #Nats on the hook for its entirety. https://t.co/TIluHqzmPj— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) August 24, 2023
If there were ever any doubt that Scott Boras is the best to ever do it as a baseball player agent, let this be Exhibit A in his Agent Hall of Fame case. Now, Strasburg would certainly prefer to be playing the game he loves and be healthy, and I want to be clear that I don’t think he’s retiring simply to collect checks. That said, it’s a great bit of agent work to get your client who has had past arm issues a fully guaranteed deal to ensure that should something happen down the road and he does have to retire, he doesn’t have to forego any money to make the decision that’s best for his health.