Patrick Corbin, who has pitched his entire big league career with the Arizona Diamondbacks, has signed a 6-year, $140 million contract with the Washington Nationals pending a physical.
Corbin had a career year with the D'Backs in 2018 going 11-7 with a 3.15 ERA striking out a career high 246 batters in 200 innings pitched earning his second career NL All-Star selection. He will join a starting rotation which includes Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg giving them a viable a potentially viable southpaw.
However, Corbin, who turns 30 next July, has seen mixed results in his six year big league career. Corbin came of age during his second big league season in 2013 when he went 14-8 with a 3.41 ERA in 32 starts with Arizona. However, he would tear his UCL and undergo Tommy John surgery missing the entire 2014 season. It took Corbin a long time to regain his form. In 2016, Corbin was sent to the bullpen after going 4-12 with a 5.58 ERA in 24 starts. Corbin used his time effectively and he would be a serviceable pitcher during the D'Backs NL Wild Card berth season in 2017 going a respectable 14-13 with a 4.03 ERA before his solid season in 2018.
Corbin has obviously worked hard to regain his form, but it remains to be seen if he can put together a string of strong seasons without injury. The Nationals are counting on six strong seasons from Corbin when he's only had two strong seasons five years apart. However, this didn't stop the Nats as well as the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies from courting him. This contract seems like a risky proposition and the Yankees and the Phillies might be grateful they weren't saddled with it.
No comments:
Post a Comment