“The transformation of Stephen Strasburg from the pitcher that we drafted to the pitcher that was the World Series MVP is vast,” Washington Nationals’ General Manager Mike Rizzo told reporters in San Diego, California earlier this month, as he and Strasburg’s agent, Scott Boras, officially announced the 2009 No. 1 overall pick’s 7-year/$245M deal with the Nats at the Winter Meetings.
Strasburg, 31, went (18-6) with a 3.32 ERA, 3.25 FIP, 56 walks, 251 Ks, and a .210/.271/.349 line against in 33 starts and 209 innings pitched in the regular season in 2019, and he was named the MVP of this year’s Fall Classic after going (2-0) in his two starts in the World Series, with a 2.