Strasburg's latest setback compounds Nationals' woes
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Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg has been shut down from physical activity due to "severe nerve damage" stemming from his 2021 surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome.
Why it matters: There's a very real chance that the Nationals' former ace has thrown his last pitch, which would cement his gargantuan contract as arguably the worst in Major League Baseball history.
The backdrop: In the fall of 2019, the Nationals rewarded their newly minted World Series MVP with a seven-year, $245 million contract — the largest ever for a pitcher at the time and still second only to Gerrit Cole's $324 million deal.
- But since then, injuries have limited Strasburg to just 31.1 innings across eight starts, the last of which came one year ago this Friday.
- Now, after three years' worth of nerve issues, there's a distinct possibility that the 34-year-old may never pitch again.
The big picture: Strasburg's career, which once appeared destined for Cooperstown, will instead likely be remembered alongside other MLB "what-ifs?"
- His debut in 2010 — which I was lucky enough to attend — remains the stuff of legend. 2009's No. 1 pick struck out 14 Pittsburgh Pirates with his signature mix of high-90s fastballs and backbreaking off-speed pitches.
- From 2010-19, Strasburg's 3.17 ERA ranked ninth among the 89 pitchers who threw 1,000+ innings, his 1.086 WHIP ranked sixth and his 10.6 K/9 ranked fourth.
- He was even better in the playoffs: He's one of just five pitchers in MLB history with a sub-1.50 ERA (1.46) in at least 50 postseason innings; the other four are in the Hall of Fame.
Yes, but: Strasburg's injury issues didn't come out of nowhere. Durability concerns surfaced throughout that dominant prime, when nagging ailments limited him to just three seasons with 30+ starts.
- The Nationals took a chance on their star, and now they're saddled with an albatross: Strasburg is owed $105 million over the next three years after this season.
- To make matters worse, Washington didn't get disability insurance on his deal because of how high the premiums would have been, WashPost reports.
State of play: Strasburg's contract, paired with the six-year, $140 million deal given to Patrick Corbin — who has been terrible — have pushed the Nationals into a full-on rebuild and could impact the sale of the team, which ownership has been exploring.
The last word: "I don't know if I'll ever be able to do this consistently on a major league mound again. But I'm not ready to hang it up quite yet," Strasburg told WashPost last fall. Nine months later, his body may force him to.
