Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg on Saturday officially retired from MLB. The news became public in quite an anti-climactic fashion.
Most big-name athlete retirements are announced on social media with a heartfelt post or a tribute video. But Strasburg’s was neatly tucked into the Nationals’ transactions log for April 6, which was posted on MLB.com.
Neither the team nor the player has made a formal announcement regarding the news.
It’s not a surprise that Strasburgh retired. The three-time All-Star has not pitched since June 9, 2022. Strasburg gave up seven runs in less than five innings of work during that outing, which was his lone appearance in the 2022 season.
There was some buzz last year that Strasburg was going to announce his retirement before the end of the 2023 season. However, a September announcement was reportedly canceled due to financial disputes stemming from the remaining $100 million over three years left on Strasburg’s contract.
The Nationals have reached an agreement with Strasburg to pay out the rest of the guaranteed money, according to the Washington Post’s Andrew Golden. Some of the payouts will reportedly be deferred.
Strasburg signed a seven-year, $245 million extension after the club won the 2019 World Series. The ace was named MVP for the Fall Classic. The Nationals star has logged just 31 1/3 innings pitched since that career pinnacle due to his battles with thoracic outlet syndrome.
