Rapid Reaction: Patrick Corbin to the Washington Nationals
I can honestly say that I have not been this surprised by a free agent signing in years. The Washington Nationals today signed top free agent starter Patrick Corbin to a 6 year, $140 million contract today to be their number 3 starter. The Nats already have Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg signed for at least 6 years and each have at least $140 million left on their deals, too. And the Nats will be paying Scherzer until 2028.
A lot of the Corbin money, like a lot of the Scherzer money, is deferred, so the short-term payroll implications for Washington are a lot less than they may appear, but given how badly other teams like the Phillies and Yankees seemed to need, and want, Corbin, I can’t believe he ended up with Washington. The deal is surprising on multiple fronts.
For Corbin: What made him decide on DC? I live here. It’s a lovely city, but other places are good too. What was the National’s pitch? Both Philly and the Yankees are contenders, so we know that that wasn’t the deciding factor for Corbin, a New York native. There were also reports out of Philadelphia that the Phillies told Corbin’s camp that they would not be outbid for his services, so it’s possible that the $140 million, which may be closer to $92 million in present-day money when the deferrals are factored in, might not even be the highest offer Corbin got.
For the Nats: Did they really want to spend that much on another starter? With Bryce Harper possibly walking out the door? One can argue that Washington needed the pitching, but the expectation was for a secondary piece more in line with the JA Happ, Nathan Eovaldi, mid-tier of the market than the Corbin luxury section. Washington’s been busy this winter, already adding two catchers in Kurt Suzuki and Yan Gomes to fix the black hole they had there. It’s very likely that they aren’t done for the winter but still, this is a surprising place to make the big splash.
Three starters all locked in for the next 3 seasons, all making Ace money. Let’s see how this plays out.
Also, where does this leave the Phillies, Yankees and the rest of the league? I guess other squads will bid entirely too much money for Happ, Eovaldi, and Dallas Keuchel. The Yankees, in particular, were primed to spend a lot on a top-flight starter this winter, so where do they spend that money now? Is it a trade instead of a signing?
This has actual implications for next summer’s races as well. The NL East is officially mired in an arms race between the Phillies, Nats, and Atlanta Braves. Oh, and the Mets just added Robinson Cano and an All Star Closer.
Second, it leaves a couple of big market teams desperate to make a move. The Phillies have to be all in on Manny Machado now, right?
As a DC resident, I’m pumped. As a New Yorker and Yankee fan, I’m distraught. This is fun though.
-Max Frankel
