What Does Future Hold for Washington Nationals Veteran Pitcher Hitting Free Agency?
The 2024 MLB season could be the official end of an era for the Washington Nationals.
If this was the final season of starting pitcher Patrick Corbin being a part of their rotation, it would mean there isn’t a single player on the roster in 2025 who was on their World Series-winning team in 2019.
Manager Dave Martinez would be the last man standing. Of course, unless they pull off the unthinkable and sign star outfielder Juan Soto in free agency.
If this past season was it for Corbin in the nation’s capital, it would have capped what was a roller coaster of six years.
Things started with a bang, as he finished 11th in the Cy Young Award voting in his first season with the team. He went 14-7 and was reliable. In Game 7 of the World Series, he came out of the bullpen and pitched three shutout innings in relief of Max Scherzer to help seal the deal against the Houston Astros.
That is as high of a peak as a pitcher can reach. Unfortunately for Corbin, he and the team haven’t gotten close to that again.
The Nationals haven’t sniffed the postseason since winning the championship, missing five years in a row and counting. The veteran lefty’s production on the mound has also plummeted.
Over the last five seasons, there isn’t a pitcher in baseball who has more losses on their record, hits allowed or earned runs charged against them. Opponents hit him often and hard, as his effectiveness was not where it once was.
As Mark Zuckerman of Masn shared, there was no indication that this partnership would be continuing beyond 2024. Washington would be best served using the money coming off the books to fill other holes on the roster.
However, despite turning 35 in July, it doesn’t sound like retirement is an option Corbin is considering.
“Does Corbin want to keep pitching? It sure sounds like it. And though most of his numbers over the last four years were dismal, the number that could still matter to other clubs is 170. That’s how many innings he averaged during those four seasons. They may not have all been quality innings, but quantity still has some value in this sport.
There will be teams (probably rebuilding teams) that need innings in 2025. And if nothing else, Corbin can provide that. He won’t make nearly as much money as he did in Washington, but he should get major league offers. And if he accepts one of them, he’ll hope to bring some value to another club, setting an example for other pitchers simply by taking the ball every five days,” Zuckerman wrote.
The performance may not have been at the highest level, but you won’t find many starting pitchers who are as reliable as Corbin. He takes the ball every time through the rotation.
2015 was the last time he didn’t make at least 31 starts in a full season; he made 11 during the COVID-19 shortened campaign in 2020. That kind of reliability and veteran, championship experience is exactly what a young team could benefit from having around.
