This offseason, I will be diving into the notable moves made and their impact to their individual teams and potential fantasy baseball implications.
In somewhat of a stunner, Patrick Corbin signed with the Nationals for 6 years and $140M. The money falls in line with the 6/$132M I predicted in my Presidente’s 2018-2019 MLB Offseason Free Agent Predictions. Everyone (including myself) had Corbin going to the Yankees… with a slight possibility of going to Philly. However, the Nationals were the team to make the mistake.
If there was ever a poster-child for a player that balled real hard in a contract year and parlayed it into a fat deal, it is Patrick Corbin.
2012-2017:
121 GS, 45-47, 4.12 ERA (3.96 FIP), 7.9 K/9, 2.7 BB/9
2018:
33 GS, 11-7, 3.15 ERA (2.47 FIP), 11.1 K/9, 2.2 BB/9
This deal basically comes down to if you believe 2018 was real or an aberration… and I tend to lean heavily to the aberration side of it. Plus, I never recommend 5+ year contracts to pitchers… especially when you’re paying for their decline.
Overall, this seemed like a dumb move for a team that needs a 2B, RP, and to lock up their young stars before they leave like Harper. Having roughly $80M/year tied up between their “big 3” will make it tough to keep their other stars like Rendon AND put championship talent around them.
Grade – D+
More Instant Analysis – Trades/ Transactions