Stephen Strasburg

Similar to Scherzer, his teammate Strasburg also has a deferred payment contract. He is deferring $11.4 million of his annual $35 million salary at 1% interest from 2027-2029, meaning the Nationals will pay the Scherzer-Strasburg duo over $42 million to not pitch in 2027 and 2028.

Strasburg has always been injury-prone. The World Series MVP from last season once again found himself hurt at the start of this year. While there was hope he could return at first after rest and rehab, he has since been shut down.