Patrick Corbin, the Starting Pitching Jewel of the Offseason, Makes Too Much Sense in New York
We know, baseball fans, the season just ended and we already miss it. Luckily the Hot Stove is set to broil!
There are some superstars who will be looking for a team this offseason and not without a nice chunk of change to furnish their new homes. The main topic of discussion for those who make their living on the mound is Mr. Patrick Alan Corbin. Patrick Corbin was one of seven Major Leaguers offered a $17.4M qualifying offer by their teams in hopes that they would return for the 2019 season, another QO guy was All-Star centerfielder and Arizona Diamondbacks teammate A.J. Pollock.
Corbin is a six-year veteran, all with the Diamondbacks, and is coming off his best season statistically as he appeared in his second All-Star Game in 2018. His first selection was back in 2013 which unfortunately lead to Tommy John surgery and forced him to miss the entire 2014 season. Corbin had a rough road ahead of him trying to re-establish his pitches and fighting his way back into Arizona’s rotation.
But he’s certainly bounced back. In 2018, Corbin finished in the top twenty in ERA and Innings Pitched and then finished in the top ten in Strikeouts, Strikeouts per Nine Innings (K/9), Walks per Nine Innings (BB/9) and WHIP (Walks and Hits per Innings Pitched). He also posted career best in Hits per Nine Innings (H/9), Homeruns per Nine Innings (HR/9) and ERA+. With these magnificent numbers, Patrick fell just short of making the final cut for the 2018 Cy Young Award. A breakout season on his contract year sure looks good to set himself up for a great free agent deal.
The numbers sparkle but what really stands out about Corbin is his work ethic and praise from fellow teammates. All-Star first baseman and teammate Paul Goldschmidt calls Corbin “humble” through his process and success. He’s the type of man that spends his signing bonus on a used car and spends his time officiating youth basketball games in the offseason. He even spends some time living in his parents’ basement and never gets too ahead of himself. Patrick still has so much to learn and he’s well aware that he’s got the tools to create a bright future ahead.
Free agency is here and who doesn’t need a big name starter? There are plenty of teams looking to sign the 6’3” southpaw as Corbin has shown that he’s got what it takes to place atop a playoff contending rotation. Major League teams are ready to sign him now for a handful of years with a healthy paycheck. From the defending National League champion Los Angeles Dodgers to the rebuilding San Diego Padres, to the AL West playoff hungry Los Angeles Angels to the Evil Empire in the Bronx, the possibilities are endless. Some of these teams are just an All-Star caliber starter away from having a real opportunity to hoist the Commissioner’s Trophy in late October 2019.
The New York Yankees have offered Corbin a contract worth approximately 6-years, $129M in hopes of signing Patrick this offseason. Assuming he accepts, he’ll be under contract until 2024. The Yankees are again in the market for a franchise pitcher to lessen the load for Luis Severino and Masahiro Tanaka. Severino has not gotten his big contract yet as he is arbitration eligible until 2021, the season Tanaka’s 7-year, $155M contract ends. As of November 6th, C.C. Sabathia, who once signed an 8-year, $182M with New York, has re-signed with the Yankees for a one 1-year, $8M contract and is planning on retiring at the season’s end, which could mean that they will now search for a long-term starter and Corbin is clearly the best available. Patrick is also from Clay, NY and a Yankees fan in his childhood and he is open to returning home as a member of the Yankees.
In the top three spots of the Yankees’ starting rotation, Corbin would fit between Severino and Tanaka, Sabathia would take the fourth spot as the fifth would be up for grabs. Corbin has shown that he’s predominantly a ground ball or strikeout pitcher, being very ideal for the short porches in Yankee Stadium. One thing that will be rather new to Corbin is the playoff chase pressure. Same as Severino before 2017, he’s never gotten a chance to pitch in the playoffs as Arizona has struggled the past few years and were swept in three games during the 2017 National League Division Series against the Dodgers as Corbin was set to start Game 4. Corbin and Severino could really feed off one another in this process and could learn from each other’s mistakes. As much as Corbin wants to be thrown into the fire of the heated Yankees-Red Sox rivalry as part of the best show in baseball, the 29-year-old New York native would love nothing more than to just put on the pinstripes and experience the postseason in the Bronx, not as a fan in the stands, but as a player.
-Kyle Unger
