Washington Nationals World Series Hero Now Considered Most 'Overpaid' Starter

The Washington Nationals are still dealing with keeping around one of their past World Series winners even though he has not performed well since then.

Jun 30, 2024; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Washington Nationals pitcher Patrick Corbin (46) walks off the field against the Tampa Bay Rays in the third inning at Tropicana Field / Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Since the Washington Nationals won the World Series in 2019, they have been forced to undergo a rebuild when they weren't able to defend their title the following year after they finished last place in the NL East division.

Eventually trading away some of their best players like Trea Turner, Max Scherzer, Juan Soto and others, the Nationals were able to get back some star prospects who are now on the verge of becoming impact players on their Major League roster.

The hope is that these youngsters will turn into the core that helps them get back into contender status like the one they had back in 2019.

Someone who played a massive role in Washington winning their franchise's first championship was Patrick Corbin.

He signed a massive six-year, $140 million contract that was looking great in the first season when the left-hander had a 14-7 record and 3.25 ERA across 33 starts. Although his numbers were inflated in the playoffs, Corbin was the starting pitcher who picked up the win in Game 7 of the deciding World Series contest, earning him some legendary status for this franchise.

Since that point, though, things have not gone well.

The left-hander has led the league in losses for three consecutive years starting in 2021, and with a 2-12 record currently, he's on pace to make that four in a row.

That has prompted Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report to say he's one of the most overpaid pitchers in the game.

"Mercifully for Washington, this six-year, $140M contract is almost over ... Since the beginning of 2021, he has a 5.79 ERA, a 1.55 WHIP and a bWAR of -4.1. He seldom misses a start, though, consistently taking his lumps every five days over the past four years," he wrote.

It has to be tough for Corbin to continually go out there and get shelled after being a major reason why the Nationals hoisted their first ever World Series trophy.

But this is a results-based business, and the 35-year-old continues to not get things done.

Once his contract expires, there likely won't be a single thought between the two parties to search for a reunion in free agency, marking the end of his tenure that started off strong and has ended in disaster.