Washington Nationals starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg is considering opting out of the final four years of his contract, according to Jon Morosi of MLB.com.

Strasburg has been with the Nationals for his entire professional career, having been called up to the major leagues in 2010 after going No. 1 overall the year before. The 31-year-old right-hander has $100 million left on his current deal but worked in an opt-out clause he could take advantage of after both the 2019 and 2020 seasons.

Strasburg is 16-6 with a 3.50 ERA on the season. He has struck out a whopping 222 batters in 185 innings of work, forming a nasty pitching trio with Max Scherzer and Patrick Corbin.

While the thought of Strasburg opting out to secure more money is solely based on speculation, there are some interesting facets of information that could lend themselves to backing up these thoughts.

Having attended school in California, specifically in the San Diego area, he could be interested in joining the interesting movement the San Diego Padres are putting together. Hell-bent on signing established veterans to high-money, long-term deals, Strasburg could look to want to relocate to a place in the United States where he has spent an important part of his life.

Strasburg would immediately slot into San Diego's ace position. General manager A.J. Preller has some of the best ammunition in the entire league in the organization’s minor leagues, so swinging a few trades to push up their timeframe to compete in 2020 would be an absolute dream for San Diego.

Strasburg could be looked at as the missing piece the Padres need, combining a stout starting pitcher with their youthful core of offensive pieces who can push them into contending in the National League West for many years to come.

Even if Strasburg doesn't actually want to leave the nation's capital, he could use the threat of opting out as leverage to get a bigger contract.