Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg has officially retired from MLB. The move comes after several months of uncertainty about Strasburg’s future in the league.
Strasburg, who has dealt with a number of injuries in recent years, made his retirement decision back in August. However, he never made it official and his retirement press conference was canceled at the last moment. It turned out that there was a dispute with the Nationals about the remainder of the seven-year, $245 million contract he signed with the franchise ahead of the 2020 NFL season.
The two sides engaged in lengthy settlement negotiations before finally reaching an agreement this week. The expectation is that Strasburg will receive most, if not all, of the money he is owed, but a portion of it will be deferred.
Stephen Strasburg had a career season in 2019 when he helped the Nationals win their first World Series title and received World Series MVP honors. He became a free agent in the following offseason and unsurprisingly landed a lucrative new deal with the franchise.
The Nationals hoped that Strasburg would continue being a mainstay in their rotation for years to come, but that never materialized. A combination of injuries limited Strasburg to just eight starts since then and he made his most recent MLB appearance back in June 2022.
Strasburg will end his career with a 113–62 record, 3.24 ERA, and 1,723 strikeouts.
