SAN DIEGO (AP) Stephen Strasburg returned to the Washington Nationals with a record contract on the first day of the winter meetings, a deal that puts fellow free agent pitcher Gerrit Cole in position for an even larger payday.

Washington and the World Series MVP agreed to a $245 million, seven-year contact, a deal of surprising size and length for a 31-year-old right-hander with an injury filled resume.

Strasburg received the highest deal for a pitcher in both total dollars and average annual value at $35 million. The largest contract for a pitcher had been David Price's $217 million, seven-year deal with Boston that began in 2016. The highest average value had been Zack Greinke's $34.4 million as part of a $206.5 million, six-year agreement with Arizona prior to the 2016 season.