Washington D.C. is a place where mistakes are made more than in any other city in the United States. The nation’s capital’s baseball team, the Washington Nationals, is no exception. Three-time All-Star pitcher Stephen Strasburg has just been diagnosed with severe nerve damage and will be shut down. The timeline for his return is still unknown. In the past three seasons, Strasburg has only pitched 31 innings since signing a seven-year extension to stay in Washington. I believe this contract is the worst in MLB History.
A Memorable 2019 Season
The 2019 season was a memorable year for the Washington Nationals and Stephen Strasburg. Strasburg stayed healthy for all that season and finished the year with a record of 18-6, an ERA of 3.32, 251 strikeouts, and a FIP of 3.25. Washington would make the postseason and upset the favored sign-stealing Astros to win their very first World Series. Strasburg himself would win World Series MVP. In the postseason, Strasburg went 5-0 with an ERA of 1.99 and 47 strikeouts.
The Seven Year $245 Million Mistake
After the season, Stephen Strasburg opted out of the remaining four years left on his contract. Strasburg became a free agent for the first time in his career. With a great season behind him and Scott Boras as his agent, Strasburg was going to cash in. That offseason, Strasburg got paid as he signed a seven-year, $245 million deal to stay with the Washington Nationals. The contract’s average annual value of $35 million was the highest ever for a pitcher at the time.
The contract has become a disaster for the Washington Nationals. For the past three seasons, Stephen Strasburg has only pitched 31 total innings due to suffering various injuries. With the diagnosis of his severe nerve damage, I wouldn’t be shocked if Strasburg never pitches again. The Nationals would still be responsible for eating the remaining three years left of this deal.
The Warning Signs Were There
The Nationals should’ve known better than to make this deal. Strasburg had multiple injury-plagued seasons. He had Tommy John surgery in 2010 and missed most of the 2011 season recovering. The team went as far as to limit his innings in 2012 and even prevented him from pitching in that postseason. Strasburg was once again hampered by injuries and only pitched 127.1 innings. In 2016, he was once again limited to 147.2 innings due to more injuries. The 2018 season was the first time his nerve issues showed up and he would only pitch in 130 innings.
Strasburg’s extensive injury history should’ve given the Nationals the necessary warning signs to not give him that long-term extension. The risk was more obvious than ever. I don’t think any other team would’ve given him that big of a contract because of his injuries. The 2019 season was the first time that he was healthy from the beginning of the season till the end. Like Washington’s 2019 World Series run, everything just happened to go perfectly for Strasburg. Now the rebuilding Nationals are suffering the consequences of making a $245 million mistake on a pitcher who might not pitch another inning.
For more on baseball, check out Belly Up Sports and follow Eric on Twitter.
