The Nationals have signed free agent starter Patrick Corbin to a six-year contract, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reports. Fancred’s Jon Heyman reports that the total value of the contract is $140 million. The Phillies and Yankees were also in heavy pursuit of the lefty.
Corbin, 29, had the best season of his career in 2018, going 11-7 with a 3.15 ERA and a 246/48 K/BB ratio in 200 innings. Across his six-year career, he owns a 3.91 ERA and an adjusted ERA (ERA+) of 109 (100 is average).
As Corbin rejected a qualifying offer, the D-Backs will receive a compensatory pick at the end of the first round in the 2019 draft. The Nationals will forfeit their second- and fifth-highest picks as well as $1 million from their international bonus pool.
Corbin will slot into the Nationals’ rotation behind Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg. This certainly makes the NL East even more interesting. The Braves have already done some upgrading, signing Josh Donaldson and Brian McCann. The Phillies just acquired Jean Segura from the Mariners and are expected to be big players for Manny Machado and/or Bryce Harper. The Mets just added Robinson Canó and Edwin Díaz. The NL East could be the best division in baseball in 2019.