WASHINGTON — Stephen Strasburg is skipping his first shot at free agency, instead agreeing to a new contract with the Washington Nationals that will pay the pitcher $175 million over seven seasons starting in 2017, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Monday night — while Strasburg was pitching against the Detroit Tigers — because the Nationals had not announced the deal.

After the Nationals’ 5-4 victory, in which he allowed four runs on a pair of homers in seven-plus innings but did not get a decision, Strasburg deflected questions about his contract, saying: “I don’t really have a comment about that right now.”

Asked about his comfort level in Washington, Strasburg answered: “Growing up in Southern California, San Diego, all my life and stuff, the East Coast is a little bit of a change. But the city of D.C. has been great to me and my family. It’s really grown on us. We’re very comfortable here.”

Rather than heading to the open market, Strasburg took a sure thing right now, eliminating any worries about the possibility of an injury lowering what a team might be willing to pay this offseason.

The 27-year-old Strasburg entered Wednesday’s start with a 59-37 career record and a 3.06 ERA across 138 appearances, all starts.