With the Rangers dealing with a lot of injuries to their starting rotation, they’ve turned to Patrick Corbin to help eat some innings.
The Texas Rangers made an unexpected move on Tuesday, signing former Diamondbacks and Nationals left-hander Patrick Corbin to a one-year contract.
The Rangers are facing a few setbacks in their starting rotation due to injuries. Jon Gray sustained a right wrist fracture from a comebacker during a Spring Training game, sidelining him for a couple of months. Meanwhile, left-hander Cody Bradford has been shut down with elbow discomfort—though his MRI came back clean, he will need time to ramp back up.
With these key absences, the Rangers are turning to Patrick Corbin, hoping he can provide valuable innings to help stabilize their rotation early in the season.
Corbin, 35, was originally selected by the Angels as a supplemental first-round pick in 2009 (40th overall) before being traded to Arizona at the 2010 deadline as part of the deal for All-Star right-hander Dan Haren. He ultimately became the best player in that trade for the Diamondbacks, posting a 3.91 ERA over parts of six seasons and earning two All-Star selections (2013 and 2018). His standout year came in 2018, when he recorded a 3.15 ERA and 2.47 FIP over 200 innings, earning a spot on the franchise’s 20th anniversary team.
Following that strong campaign, Corbin signed a six-year, $140 million contract with the Washington Nationals. The deal paid off immediately, as he played a crucial role in helping the Nationals win the 2019 World Series.
However, his performance declined significantly in the following years. From 2020 to 2024, Corbin struggled with a 5.62 ERA, primarily serving as an innings-eater for a rebuilding Nationals team. Over that span, he made 126 starts and pitched 679 innings, leading MLB in earned runs allowed in three of four seasons and topping the National League in losses three times.
Now with the Rangers, Corbin has a fresh opportunity to prove he can still compete at the major league level. Since he didn’t participate in a full Spring Training, he’ll need time in the minors to build up before joining the big league roster.
