Projecting Stephen Strasburg's Next Contract Following Opt Out

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg, fresh off piling up a 1.46 ERA in his fist nine postseason starts, six of which came during Washington's improbable run to the World Series this year, could theoretically stay in Washington and play out the remaining four years on his $175 million contract.

It's possible, however, that the newest October star could be set to earn far more than that, even if he ends up staying with the Nationals.

Stephen Strasburg Contract Details

Strasburg is in the midst of a seven-year, $175 million deal, but could also opt out following this performance, and might end up in the $30 million per year range.

Strasburg's postseason dominance is one thing, but he's also never had an ERA higher than 3.60 in the 10 years he has been in DC. He led the NL in innings pitched this year at age 30, while setting a new career high for strikeouts at 251.

While some teams might be a little worried about giving him a long contract, as he will be 31 next season and he could lose his velocity later in his career, he would be the unquestioned ace on all but about three or four MLB teams, and should absolutely get a contract in the same stratosphere as Gerrit Cole.

Strasburg would be a fool to not opt out and cash in on his historic postseason. The Nationals have their No. 2 starter and MVP-caliber third baseman on the market this offseason, and time will tell if Mike Rizzo uses the money he saved on Bryce Harper to pony up for both stars, deferments not included.