What are Corbin's options now that his time in D.C. has ended?

PLAYER REVIEW: PATRICK CORBIN

Age on Opening Day 2025: 35

How acquired: Signed as free agent, December 2018

MLB service time: 12 years, 105 days

2024 salary: $35 million ($10 million deferred to be paid between November 2024-January 2026)

Contract status: Free agent

2024 stats: 6-13, 5.32 ERA, 32 G, 32 GS, 174.2 IP, 208 H, 114 R, 109 ER, 25 HR, 54 BB, 139 SO, 3 HBP, 1.500 WHIP, 72 ERA+, 4.42 FIP, -0.9 bWAR, 1.7 fWAR

Quotable: “There’s probably been starts he’s made where he could’ve had an argument to sit out and try to feel better for the next one, but that’s not in his makeup. He’s the ultimate team player. He’s the ultimate competitor. He’s a big piece of the camaraderie of this clubhouse. He organizes a lot of off-the-field get-togethers. He just truly loves to play the game, and he loves his teammates, and he loves to bring everyone together. I think he’s done a good job of showing people the right way to go about being a Major League Baseball player.” – Kyle Finnegan

2024 analysis: Entering the final year of his $140 million contract at last, the Nationals pretty much knew this would be the end of the road for Patrick Corbin in D.C. The only real question: Would he lose his spot in the rotation sometime during the season, or would he somehow make it all the way through September.

Four starts in, Corbin boasted an 0-3 record and 8.06 ERA. The odds of him making it past summer looked bleak. But a change would require the emergence of someone else to take his spot in the rotation. The most likely candidate was Cade Cavalli, who was supposed to be on target to return from Tommy John surgery in June or July, but the right-hander’s rehab kept getting delayed and he wound up not even pitching in a big league game this season.

The Nats also hoped Josiah Gray would return at some point from the flexor strain that landed him on the 15-day injured list after only two starts. But in what figured to be his final rehab start before he was activated, Gray suffered a setback, one that ultimately required season-ending Tommy John surgery. And once Trevor Williams had to go on the IL for his own prolonged stretch, the Nationals simply weren’t in a position to field five more viable starters than Corbin.

So Corbin indeed made it all the way through his sixth and final season with the club. There were some legitimately strong outings along the way; he allowed zero or one run over five or more innings eight times, only one fewer than Williams and two fewer than MacKenzie Gore and Jake Irvin. But there were plenty of duds as well; he allowed seven or more runs five times, most in the majors.

In the end, the 2024 version of Corbin looked a lot like the 2021-23 versions of Corbin. He made every start. He gave the Nats a chance to win sometimes. He often gave them little chance to win. But he kept taking the ball every five days, no matter what.

2025 outlook: It’s been a long time coming, but Corbin is finally becoming a free agent. His six-year totals with the Nationals: a 47-77 record, 5.11 ERA and 1.460 WHIP in 170 starts. (Plus, of course, eight critical postseason appearances in October 2019, five of those coming out of the bullpen.) Was that worth $140 million in the end? Depends on who you ask.

The question now is where Corbin and the Nats go from here. There was no indication from either side at season’s end that a return to D.C. was expected. The Nationals figure to take the money they were paying the lefty and try to use it on a younger free agent starter closer to his prime.

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.