As Stephen Strasburg took the mound Monday night against the Detroit Tigers, the right-hander agreed to a seven year, $175 million extension with the Washington Nationals, a person with direct knowledge of the negotiations told USA TODAY Sports.
The person requested anonymity because the deal has not yet been announced.
Strasburg and Max Scherzer gives Washington two solid starters through at least the 2021 season.
A press conference is scheduled for Tuesday regarding Strasburg's announcement, according to CBS Sports, which first reported the extension.
Strasburg will receive a rolling opt-out clause in the deal that can be exercised after the third or fourth season. He can also make an additional $1 million each season of the contract by pitching at least 180 innings.
Strasburg was set to be the biggest prize in a thin free agent market after this season, and with Scherzer in just the second year of a seven-year, $215 million deal, it appeared likely he'd cash in elsewhere. Instead, the Nationals came to a rare agreement with a client of agent Scott Boras who was on the verge of free agency.
And the Nationals will control one of the most dominant arms in the game for more than a decade. They selected Strasburg first overall in 2009, he debuted amid much fanfare almost exactly a year later, but then blew out his elbow in August 2010. It wasn't until 2013 that Strasburg was not restricted by injury, rehab or innings limits.
Now, he becomes the second pitcher coming off Tommy John surgery to sign a nine-figure deal, easily eclipsing former teammate Jordan Zimmermann, who signed a five-year, $110 million deal with the Detroit Tigers in December.
Strasburg is 5-0 with a 2.36 ERA and 47 strikeouts this season, and for his career averages 10.4 strikeouts per nine innings.
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