Nationals rally on night Strasburg reportedly gets big extension

Right-hander Stephen Strasburg started his 139th career game with the Nationals on Monday night, taking a no-decision in an eventual 5-4 walk-off win over the Detroit Tigers.

Clint Robinson cranked a solo homer in the bottom of the ninth to complete the comeback for the Nationals, his first ever walk-off shot. The victory snapped a four-game losing streak for the Nationals, who trailed 4-1 in the sixth.

But the news most will remember from Monday was that Strasburg had reportedly signed a seven-year, $175 million deal to remain with the Nationals. Strasburg was in the final year of his original deal, paying him $10.4 million for 2016.

"I don't really have a comment about that right now," Strasburg said afterward. "I'm really just focusing on this game here and stuff like that. All that stuff is going to work itself out eventually. I'm just excited for the way the guys played behind me tonight and they picked me up near the end."

The deal appears to have been consummated early in a 2016 season in which Strasburg has been pitching very well.

Strasburg was 5-0 with a 2.76 ERA in his first seven starts, the best first six weeks to a season in his career. He fired 11 strikeouts Monday, the 24th time in his career he has reached double digits in punchouts. Strasburg said he feels more relaxed with each season he plays for the Nationals.

"Growing up in Southern California and San Diego all my life and stuff, the East Coast is a big change," Strasburg said. "But the city of D.C. has been great to me and my family. It's really grown on us and we're very comfortable here."

Assuming Strasburg is in the fold instead of heading to free agency next offseason, the Nationals now have long-term deals in place for Strasburg and right-hander Max Scherzer, with combined contract totals potentially reaching $385 million. Highly touted pitcher Lucas Giolito is lurking in the minors, too, leaving the Nationals rotation in good shape for some time to come.

Manager Dusty Baker said after the game that he wasn't aware of the the reported long-term deal for Strasburg:

"If that's the case, I'm very, very happy. And I'd like to be here a little while longer with him," Baker said.

Last season, the Nationals allowed Jordan Zimmermann to leave for this week's interleague opponent, the Tigers. Zimmermann signed for five years and $110 million with Detroit.

But the Nationals had different ideas for Strasburg, and locked him in for a reported seven years, a contract extension that is built with deferrals and opt-out clauses, according to multiple media reports.

Baker said Strasburg has pitched well dating to the end of his 2015 season.

"I think it goes back to last year," Baker said. "He's built some momentum over the offseason. He's come in in outstanding shape. His mental state of mind, his calmness, is a whole lot better I heard than it used to be where some of the smaller things don't affect him as much. We had a conversation in the spring about that he's no longer an underclassmen."

Despite allowing a pair of two-run homers to the Tigers, the Nationals rallied for Strasburg, who allowed four runs on six hits and three walks over seven innings.

Asked about Strasburg's possible extension, right fielder Bryce Harper said:

"That's huge. He's one of the best arms in baseball," Harper said. "The way he goes about it every single day, he works his tail off every single day. It's a lot of fun having him around and he's one of the best. Very happy for Stras. The way he's gone about it hasn't been easy but he's done it the right way, came in here every single day and worked hard, and we're excited to have him.

"I think just having (Strasburg) around, it's going to be huge. Good for the organization, very excited. I think being able to just stick around, have some fun and play the game this year, and that's what Stras is going to do. So that's good."

Robinson was thrilled about his walk-off homer, his first since his time in the minor leagues. And the possibility of getting Strasburg in the fold for an additional seven years was cause for optimism, too.

"That would be great," Robinson said. "I haven't heard that until now, so that's awesome. I'm sure it takes a lot of pressure off him to go out the rest of the season and pitch, not really worry about an upcoming free agent year. Not saying he is worried about that, but it can't hurt. So it's really big for us to have Stras on our side the whole way. We love having him and good for him."