Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg will retire, something that was revealed by reporters in late August.
There was a press conference on Saturday to discuss the news, but it has been cancelled according to Britt Ghiroli.
The player has no plans of returning, though: the intention is still to retire.
The conference was cancelled because team and player are still in the process of hammering out specifics about what’s next.
“This has been brewing since the start of the week. The Nationals and Stephen Strasburg are still hammering out details of his retirement terms, so an official announcement will come at a later date. Strasburg’s plans have not changed,” Nationals insider Jesse Dougherty tweeted.
This has been brewing since the start of the week. The Nationals and Stephen Strasburg are still hammering out details of his retirement terms, so an official announcement will come at a later date. Strasburg’s plans have not changed. https://t.co/Zn955ibizR
— Jesse Dougherty (@dougherty_jesse) September 7, 2023
In the replies, Dougherty clarified that the Nats were only planning the press conference on Saturday and not anything to honor Strasburg on the field or prior to a game.
He also said that the organization has been discussing the possibility of retiring his number in 2024, something that theoretically would involve an on-field ceremony.
For now, the decision has been made: due to severe nerve damage stemming from his thoracic outlet syndrome, Strasburg won’t be able to honor the contract he signed after the 2019 World Series and will retire.
He will continue to get paid, though, and the Nationals are on the hook for that.
They do not have any disability insurance on the seven-year, $245 million contract, so they are obligated to keep honoring their end of the deal.
Strasburg gave everything he had in the 2019 Nationals World Series run.
He won the Fall Classic, but it cost him the rest of his career.
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