The Washington Nationals and Patrick Corbin agreed on a 6-year $140 million deal on Tuesday. The Nationals were one of the three teams that Corbin paid a visit to on his east coast tour that included stops in New York and Philadelphia.
The Nationals have put a lot of money into their starting rotation. Between Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and now Corbin, they have committed $425 million dollars to those three starters. That’s putting a lot of eggs in one basket. However, it was a move that needed to be done. The Mets new GM Brodie Van Wagenen is going pedal to the medal and claims he is far from done after trading for Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz. Also the defending division champion Atlanta Braves just signed Josh Donaldson to a 1-year deal so they could not sit on the sideline as their division rivals got better. It is also still uncertain if Bryce Harper will take is talents elsewhere this Winter.
A big factor in landing Corbin was the fact that they were willing to give him six years as opposed to the five he was being offered by the Yankees and Phillies. The Yankees reportedly offered him a 5-year $100 million deal and were adamant on not going past 5 years.
Corbin picked the perfect time to have a career year. Last season he posted a 3.15 ERA in 200 innings pitched with 246 strikeouts, 48 walks, 2.47 FIP, 1.05 WHIP, and a 11.1 K/9. He owned a 11-7 record in 33 starts.
Corbin reinvented his approach last season. He cut down his fastball usage and practically threw out his changeup. His main pitch is now his slider and also features a curveball as well. His new approach allowed his strikeout rate to jump and it turned him into the most sought-after free agent starting pitcher on the market this offseason. The Nationals have acquired a good arm to sure up their rotation for what should be a competitive race in the NL East.
