Strasburg?s seven-year, $175-million deal, agreed to on Monday and to be announced Tuesday at a news conference at Nationals Park, will actually be paid out over 14 years, according to a person with direct knowledge of the contract. Strasburg will receive $70 million, with no interest, after the deal expires in 2023.
The breakdown: Strasburg will receive $15 million annually from 2017-23, and then $10 million per year from 2024-30. This helps the Nationals in two ways: keeping payroll lower in the near term, and also lowering the actual value of the entire package. The Nationals, the person said, figure the deal is actually akin to about $162 million if it were paid out only over the seven-year life of the contract.