4 Teams That Could Show Interest in Washington Nationals Veteran Free Agent Pitcher
The Washington Nationals have a few veterans who are hitting free agency this winter and may not be coming back to the franchise. One of them is left-handed starting pitcher Patrick Corbin.
His six-year contract signed ahead of the 2019 season expired, and he is set to hit free agency again. His market is going to be a lot different this time around, as he is outside of his prime and has had a few rough seasons.
In spite of those few rough seasons, he brings something positive to the table with his durability and dependability. He also has championship experience from 2019.
With no hints at retirement, he just needs one team to show interest. Here are four who could look into signing Corbin this winter.
Oakland Athletics
It is anyone’s guess what the future holds for where the Athletics will be playing. But, they will certainly be in the market for any help in the starting rotation after having only three players start at least 24 games in 2024.
What Oakland was hoping to get out of Alex Wood, whom they signed last offseason, would be similar to what to expect from Corbin; a veteran lefty who has World Series experience to help the young guys develop.
However, Wood only made nine starts and hasn’t reached the 30-start plateau since 2015. Corbin has reached that plateau eight times since.
Colorado Rockies
You aren’t going to find many pitchers willingly signing with the Rockies. Coors Field has ruined plenty of pitchers in its existence, and once guys leave they will more often than not find success.
But, a player in Corbin’s position cannot be picky. If they offered him a Major League contract, he would likely jump at the chance to continue his career. At the very least, he would help eat innings in what is projected to be an underwhelming rotation again.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Allergic to spending money, the veteran lefty is the exact kind if player that the Pirates would normally target in free agency. He has had some previous success in his career and they have a track record of rehabilitating pitchers.
Most importantly, he would cost next to nothing. Bringing in an experienced arm to help their incredibly talented young group of starting pitchers would make a lot of sense.
Corbin could serve as much-needed depth in a rotation where innings limits could still be in place for Paul Skenes, Jared Jones and eventual call-ups Braxton Ashcraft and Bubba Chandler.
It never hurts having veterans around to help the young guys, either.
Baltimore Orioles
Starting pitching is a huge issue for the Orioles. It will get even bigger if Corbin Burnes departs in free agency.
A team with legitimate World Series aspirations being connected to the starter who has given up the most hits, and been charged with the most earned runs and losses over the last five seasons certainly seems like an odd fit. But Baltimore just needs guys who can make it to the mound.
This past season they lost John Means, Tyler Wells and Kyle Bradish to season-ending injuries. Grayson Rodriguez ended the campaign on the injured list. The Trevor Rogers acquisition was a bust.
At the very least, the Orioles know Corbin will take the ball every fifth day and at the end of the season will have 170+ innings pitched. With their offense, they should be able to outslug opponents in the outings he doesn’t have it and they need to score 6+ runs.
