Stephen Strasburg has spent his entire 10-year career with your Washington Nationals, and he’s ready to spend the better part of another decade here in D.C.
The right hander discussed his new seven-year, $245 million contract Tuesday during a news conference at Nationals Park. It had been the largest deal for a pitcher until the New York Yankees backed up the truck for Gerrit Cole (nine years, $345 million) a short time later.
“Throughout the course of my career, there’s been ups and downs, but [the Nats] supported me throughout it all,” he told reporters, “and I think that’s hard to come by in this game.”
The 31-year-old has a 112–58 career record with a career 3.17 ERA in D.C. During the 2019 regular season, Strasburg went 18-6 with an ERA of 3.17. That — along with being World Series MVP — made him a free-agency prize.
One club mentioned amid hot stove speculation was his hometown San Diego Padres.
Instead, the 2009 No. 1 overall draft pick stuck with the Nats, not unlike his mentor at San Diego State University, Tony Gwynn. The late Hall of Famer played his entire 20-season career with the Padres before going on to coach a young Strasburg.
“When you’re given an opportunity to be in one spot and grow as a person, as a player, and be a part of an organization like this, you can’t really let those opportunities go by,” he said.
WTOP’s George Wallace contributed to this report.
