Dec. 11: Corbin’s deal includes a $2.5MM signing bonus, per Heyman, and the following yearly salaries: $12.5MM in 2019, $19MM in 2020, $24MM in 2021, $23MM in 2022, $24MM in 2023 and $35MM in 2024.
Dec. 7: The Nationals have formally announced the signing of Corbin to a six-year contract.
“As the top free agent pitcher on the market this offseason, we targeted Patrick from the onset,” said general manager Mike Rizzo in a statement within the press release. “He was one of the top pitchers in the National League in 2018 and at 29 years old, we believe the best is yet to come. We are thrilled to bring him into our organization.”
Dec. 6: Just $10MM of salary is deferred, per Jayson Stark of The Athletic (via Twitter). It’ll be due in a period from November of 2024 through January of 2026, so ultimately it’s only a small portion of the contract that won’t be kicked very far down the road.
Dec. 4: The Nationals have agreed to a deal with veteran lefty Patrick Corbin, according to Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post (via Twitter). Corbin, a client of ISE Baseball, has landed a $140MM guarantee over a six-year term, Jon Heyman of Fancred tweets.
Deferrals will reduce the true, present-day value of the deal, but it’s still a huge sum. Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that the deferrals will be relatively minor, though details aren’t yet known. There will not be an opt-out opportunity in the deal, Bruce Levine of 670thescore.com tweets. That’s one area in which the Nats will avoid giving further value. (As MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz has explained, those increasingly common clauses convey sometimes-significant value to players.) There’s no word yet as to whether Corbin will obtain any no-trade protection.
It turns out that Corbin will not only top the $126MM guarantee achieved last winter by Yu Darvish,but will do so handily. Entering the winter, MLBTR predicted that Corbin would beat Darvish slightly, grading him as the top arm on the market. That seemed an aggressive prediction at the time, with many other outlets suggesting Corbin would earn less, but his market took off from the outset with several large-market clubs driving the bidding.
The Nats ultimately topped the Yankees (who entered as the perceived favorite) and division-rival Phillies to get a deal done. It long seemed a match with the New York club made the most sense, due not only to need and spending power but also to Corbin’s well-known roots in New York. It turns out the Yanks were unwilling to move past a $100MM offer on a five-year term, per Billy Witz of the New York Times (via Twitter). The Phillies also were stuck on five years, per Heyman (Twitter link).
Corbin’s decision to head to D.C. represents the first major move of this winter’s free agent market. He’ll join Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg to make up an imposing trio atop the Nats’ rotation — a unit that still could be supplemented with another addition. All three will be playing on nine-figure deals, representing a remarkable overall commitment to maintaining a top-level pitching staff.
This is the most significant acquisition yet for the Nats, but hardly the first. Previously, the Nationals lined up a new catching duo (Yan Gomes and Kurt Suzuki) and added a pair of relievers (Trevor Rosenthal and Kyle Barraclough). Clearly, the organization is fully committed to a run at a return to glory in 2019 and beyond. The same can be said of much of the rest of the division, setting the stage for a fascinating remaining winter of dealmaking (to say nothing of the season to come).
Because he declined a qualifying offer from the Diamondbacks, Corbin’s signing will trigger some draft pick implications. The Nats will cough up a second-round pick and a fifth-rounder as well, as they were one of two teams that paid the competitive balance tax in 2018. The D-Backs will add a sandwich round pick (after the conclusion of the first round).
It’s a big price for the Nats to pay, but they obviously felt it was worth it to add a 29-year-old pitcher who took major new strides in 2018. Corbin threw exactly 200 frames for the Snakes, working to a 3.15 ERA and — more importantly — looking every bit an ace in doing so. He ended the season with 11.1 K/9, 2.2 BB/9, and a 48.5% ground-ball rate, leaving ERA estimators gawking (2.47 FIP, 2.61 xFIP, 2.91 SIERA). Notably, Corbin’s eye-popping 15.6% swinging-strike rate was orders of magnitude superior to his prior personal-best (11.0% in the season prior) and ranked as the second-highest of any qualified starting pitcher in the Majors. That occurred even as his average fastball dipped below 92 mph for the first time since he established himself as a full-time MLB starter.
Beyond questions of the sustainability of Corbin’s performance, many will wonder whether this contract brings too much health risk. The southpaw missed all of the 2014 campaign after undergoing Tommy John surgery, after all. Of course, the Nats have not shied away from TJ patients in the past, and Corbin has otherwise mostly been a rather durable hurler by today’s standards. He topped two hundred frames in 2013 and slung 189 2/3 in the 2017 campaign. Plus, the still-youthful hurler has a deeper potential advantage for longevity: he did not push his arm on the youth baseball circuit and did not even join the baseball team in high school until he was a junior.
The addition of Corbin at such a lofty rate will leave many to wonder whether the Nationals have moved on from Bryce Harper. The addition of Corbin’s $23.33MM annual salary will bring the Nationals’ luxury tax ledger to a bit more than $188MM for the 2019 season — about $17.9MM south of the luxury tax line. Obviously, adding Harper to the fold would tax the Nationals well north of the $206MM luxury line, but the Nationals demonstrated last year that they were comfortable crossing that threshold.
Beyond that, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo has suggested that the Nats payroll could support both an extension for Anthony Rendon and a new contract for Harper. While it’s possible that the addition of Corbin could make it difficult to ultimately sign both Rendon and Harper long-term, Rizzo’s prior comments at the very least lend credence to the notion that both Corbin and Harper could coexist on an increasingly large payroll. Furthermore, as Janes tweets, the Nats’ front office knows that in order to retain Harper, ownership will need to make an “unprecedented commitment” and looks to be building up the roster while leaving a decision on Harper in the hands of the Lerner family.
Now that the dust has cleared, Corbin has ended up topping some notable recent price points. In addition to beating the Darvish deal, he’ll receive more total money than Johnny Cueto ($130MM), though that contract included an early opt-out chance, as well as Jordan Zimmermann ($110MM). The contract will still fall comfortably shy of Jon Lester’s somewhat front-loaded, $155MM pact with the Cubs in December of 2014.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Spots Images.
Wow! Thats a sick rotation, even if I am a Braves fan
So much for him dreaming of being in pinstripes, I guess.
Money always talks
Oh, goody!
I follow around 8 teams. One of them is the Indians.
This signing will push the Yankees to sign Machado, and trade clanky gloved Miguel Andujar along with a few others for Kluber.
That used to always be the reason everybody went to NY
Yankees have an insulting offer.. thought he would sign because of “tradition”. The new yankee tradition is “wildcard”.
I don’t think it forces the Yanks to do anything. There are still solid #2-#3 options available as FA. I think the Yanks will sign Harper before Machado anyway.
And this idea that Kluber will take Andujar + seems silly to me. In most trades we’ve seen for veterans like Kluber have always involved prospects. Andujar had a great year with the bat and the fact that he proved it at the highest level means he’s worth more than a top 10 prospect when you consider that a prospect is potential whereas he has, albeit limited, mlb track record of success.
That being said, the Yanks have good prospects but only 1, Florial, has the esteem of being a top 50 prospect. But Florial comes with risk and I think other teams can offer more esteemed (ranked top 100, not necessarily more talented) prospects to dangle.
“And this idea that Kluber will take Andujar + seems silly to me.”
Not at all.
When the clanky glove nonsense started a few weeks ago, any quality organization with a young player that good would have made a public statement backing him. Instead they played right into the Machado rumors.
As for Kluber – he’s a Cy Young ace with no injury history.
Indians won’t deal Kluber to the Yankees. That would look terrible for the fans. If they do trade him it will be to an NL team.
Why would they take an inferior deal from someone else if the Yankees offer the best return?
It what world is 5/$100M insulting?
Boras World?
What has sloppy spending won the Nats?
“Indians won’t deal Kluber to the Yankees. That would look terrible for the fans.”
lol
The Indians will do what’s best for the team. And if it means trading Kluber, then they’ll take the best deal.
MLB is a multi-billion dollar business. As the old saying goes……
“If management make moves to appease the fans, they’ll soon be sitting with the fans.
lol
I disagree. The optics are too hard to sell the fans on. The Indians are SUPPOSED to be competing with the Yankees in 2019, not giving them their best pitcher. I could be wrong, but I expect Kluber to go to the NL(if he moves at all).
The Yankees are the ones who should be hesitant about that. They have to trade impact prospects then face those impact prospects playing for the rival Indians for potentially the next decade.
Compared to 6/$140, it is
In a world where another team is offering 40 mil and 1 year more. Maybe Corbin would have given a discount, but not a 40 mil discount.
It’s not insulting, it’s sensible.
a) Not sure where the “clanky glove” comes from. b) I’m sure Cashman isn’t searching the internet to rebut negative comments about a player.
If the Indians consider themselves contenders in the future, regardless of roster reshuffling, then chances are slim they trade Kluber to the Yankees.
Why send a high-tier pitcher to a team you could be facing early on in the postseason if the package isn’t a overpay?
A number one pitcher is far more important than machado or Harper. Severino and Paxton have proven they are to inconsistent to be championship caliber number 1 pitchers. And with the way their roster is constructed they don’t need another bat they need a guarantee win pitcher similar to what the other top Al teams have.
Well if they consider themselves contenders in the next 3 years, why would they trade Kluber to anyone?
If they do trade him, you could argue trading him to the Yankees would be the best case scenario because it puts a nice dent in their farm system.
A world where the going price is a guarantee of 40% more money.
This is simple math not rocket science.
$140M with an opt out is steep for a no. 3. I don’t blame the Yanks for bowing out, considering what’s out there in terms of starting pitching, next year.
I follow around 1 team.
Saying you follow 8 teams doesn’t make you Appear any Smarter. In fact It may have the appearance of diluting what maybe another person’s experience Is a falling one team their whole life.
I appreciate other team’s players for things they bring to the game but I root for one team only.
Seems like you have a bias against the ,so they one of your around 8 teams?
Anyone that follows the yankees knew that was not his strength but that is something you can work on when the hitting is That good.
It’s funny because people that make comments like that are trying to find something bad in what is a great young player. Its for all the wrong reasons. I’m not saying that’s your comment because of you probably just repeating what someone else said. But I’d venture a guess to say that most teams would take him if he were offered to themAnd nobody would say his defense isn’t good enough.
Number 3?
Do you think you get to classify a pitcher as a number 3 starter based on your other starters or are you saying that the advantage of having a number one starter to go against the other teams number 3 isn’t an advantage worth spend a lot of money on?
It was a terrible move and another example of how Hal really wants CBS to be his middle name.
I think what he’s saying is they won’t trade him unless they get a good offer from an NL team. There is at least some value knowing you won’t have to face Kluber in the postseason unless you both make it to the WS somehow. That value can put an NL team’s trade offer over the Yankees in the Indians calculation
Why in the world would the Yankees sign Harper? They need starters, period.
As an Indians fan in Mariner territory, I’ve seen Paxton. He is going to get lit up in the hitter-friendly New York stadium.
well, the Nats have had probably the number 1 pitcher in the Majors the last several years with Max Scherzer and they have stunk. Plus Harper and they have stunk. And all the other great players, Strasberg, etc and they have stunk. Exactly what is the Nats problem? And holy crap do they overpay.
There was no opt out. So what is your excuse now
Yankees fans don’t worry this corbin contract is going to be a bust. there is no way he is worth what nationals are going to pay him. his career numbers are not all that impressive. I think he’s a career 3.90s era.
The Yankees will have their own “bust” of a contract before too long — be it a pitcher who doesn’t live up or a Manny Machado who takes the money and never looks back.
That will not be the case at all. Paxton is only a year removed from a major mechanics overhaul, which put his stuff in the Sale category. Whether or not he can now refine it to be as consistent as Sale is the big question. Followed by, can he stay healthy.
No. Nobody would Paxton anywhere near Chris Sale in terms of stuff. Even Paxton’s wife wouldn’t agree with your comment.
Who is your team again?
Lol
I agree that a “number one” pitcher is very important. I’m not sure that Corbin is a number one based on his past track record. He is very good no doubt, but I don’t think he deserves a 6 year contract at those dollars.
He’s an NL pitcher.
Would have gotten beat-up in the AL, and caught Sonny Gray-disease when pitching in Yankee Stadium.
Such a silly thing to say. You think one team having an extra hitter will crumple a high end pitcher?
Do you follow MLB?
Pitchers that go from the AL to the NL almost always produce more – some dominate. And NL pitchers that go to the AL almost always produce less – and a few fizzle out.
Please don’t call me silly, kid.
Agreed 100%. I was hoping the Yankees would get this guy. A 6 year deal looked like a sure albatross in a couple years. Yankees are being frugal recently. It’s definitely strange.
Not just the DH(though, of course that is a huge factor). It’s also the bandboxes that the AL East teams play in.
frugal in this case means smart. yanks and phils were wise to stay away from a 140mil committment. he’s good but not so good to invest THAT much in when you’ve got other needs. wow, though. i think the majority of us missed this one in the FA contest–i thought Yanks for sure… NL EAST is on FIRE
First off, I’m not a child.
Show proof of a large number of ace level pitchers that came to the AL and crumbled?
2018 mlb ballparks with most homeruns allowed:
10 in the AL and 10 in the NL including 3 NL stadiums in the top 5 with the Yanks coming in at #6 and Chase at #11.
There’s no way you can predict that NL pitchers will suffer in the AL. Different circumstances for different pitchers.
Here you go using selected statistics to win an argument.
Cite me 5 so-so NL pitchers that went to the AL and became mainstay’s on their staff in the last 3 years.
Cite me 5 quality AL pitchers that went to the NL and lost their effectiveness in the last 3 years.
My bad. I’m not accustomed to making statements without logic or proof. My point is, some guys might struggle because of the DH, some might struggle because it’s NY, some might thrive ala Pedro Martinez. But have you given ANY proof that simply facing 1 additional hitter turns above average NL pitchers into struggling pitchers? No..you just say stuff.
Fangraphs says it’s a big difference:
“Overall, a pitcher moving from the AL to the NL would see his ERA drop by about 0.41 points, a very large difference and one well worth noting on Draft Day. In a traditional mixed league, this would make the difference between drafting a player in the mid-teens (4.10 ERA) and not drafting him at all (4.51 ERA). A lot of this comes from the strikeout increase (which is the best outcome for fantasy owners since strikeouts are a category in-and-of themselves), though the little gains in walks, hit-by-pitches, ground ball rate, infield fly rate, BABIP, and LOB% all add up to contribute.”
Actually it’s……
No..YOU just say stuff.
– –
Off the top of my head……
Max Scherzer was an excellent pitcher in the AL. In the NL he dominates. Look at his stats – all improved marketably, ERA down over a half run, and he’d been in a pitchers park with the Tigers.
Clay Buchholz washed out in Boston 3 of his last 4 years; revived in hitters park in Arizona.
Jon Lester. Pitched better with the Cubs than the Red Sox while older.
Cole Hamels pitched far better in the NL than AL.
Lance Lynn. Can’t pitch 5 innings a game in the AL.
Rich Hill. Career about over in the AL. Goes to the Dodgers @ age 36. Becomes effective #3 starter.
Can play this all day long. Jake Arrieta from AL to NL………
Specific examples are tough because some guys switch in their prime while others switch when they are washed up. Pitching in the NL certainly seemed to help excellent pitchers like Randy Johnson, Curt Schilling, Pettitte, Lester & Scherzer, though. All of them were better in the NL.
I won’t use a guy like Arrieta as an example because he just never evolved in Balt. But guys who went the other way like Javier Vazquez & Jake Peavy were never quite the same.
How did you determine that going one extra year makes this a bad deal?
I think you used a dingleberry.
Yeah, you can just rest your case with Clay Buchholz and Wade Miley. Both were totally ineffective and completely washed out of the AL. Then they go to the NL and dominate.
Wade Miley!
The DiamondBacks play in a significantly more hitter friendly park than Yankee Stadium.
That was one of the reasons why everyone thought Corbin made sense for NY. It’s also the reason why Greinke becomes their next best option.
Bucholz and Miley? For a collective total of 15 starts? Domination?
Some say he has the best slider in the game. Strikeouts and stuff are what translates well across leagues. Corbin has both of those things.
Add Greinke to my list of pitchers who were good in the AL and significantly better in the NL.
Wade Miley was starting playoff elimination games for the Brewers this year. Wade Miley!!
Wade Miley!!
lol
Notice how Epstein goes from the Red Sox to the Cubs, and Friedman from the Rays to the Dodgers – and they’re picking up pitchers off the AL scrap heap and winning with them.
It’s not just “one more batter”. It’s an entirely different style of play.
Get your eyes away from the computer games and off the spreadsheets. Watch real games and learn baseball fundamentals.
You and I get it, Samuel. I don’t know why these fools are bothering to argue. The list of pitchers who have fared better in the NL than the AL is endless. Meanwhile the list of pitchers who have fared better in the AL seems to be Pedro Martinez and that’s it. Even Fangraphs agrees. Case closed.
You stupid fans, Lester pitched better cuz he was fighting cancer, n was recovering!!! I adored Lester. He pitched great n the Redsox low balled him. He went to the cubs n I’m very happy for him.
It’s a really good point west coast but I think the overall point is with the Dh as well as the AL just having superior hitters a pitcher coming from the nl to the al is likely to have a dip. Might not kill them good pitchers are good pitchers but I think some nl fans(my team is in the nl) can’t admit that the al typically fork up the big dollars for the best players. It’s not an enormous margin but it’s there. The Yanks and Red Sox play a large role. They not only sign a lot of guys but they drive their competition to stay competitive
Are you trolling here? Lester had cancer in 2006 and was recovered by 2007. He pitched basically his entire career in Boston while cancer-free.
You are right about one thing, though: the Red Sox lowballed him and blew it badly!
What happened to Southbeach and juicemane here? Their silence is deafening.
Perhaps that’s because the AL has traditionally focused on offense? But that being said, maybe somebody can help me understand why Corbin was a sure bet for the Yankees? Seems to me the NYC media and Yankees fans in general thought that Corbin would disregard the extra year and extra money offered by the Nats and instead take less from the Yankees for no other reason than he should be grateful the venerable Yankees were ever interested in the first place.
Most FA’s are most interested in money. The perceived privilege of playing for the Yankees isn’t worth a shorter contract or less money to him or almost any other player. And it’s not like the Nats are the Reds or the Marlins. Or the Orioles.
BECAUSE HE GREW UP IDOLIZING ANDY PETTITTE! DUH!
For an extra $40 million he became a nats fan
If I were a nominal Yankees fan, I’d take $40 million to become a Nats fan.
Poop
Out of nowhere…
Wtf
DAMMIT!!! 0-5 on my preditions.
almost had Richards right. I was between San Diego and Detroit. I said Detroit. He goes to Padres
Same here lmao. If someone goes 0 – 50 there should be a MLB TRADE RUMORS complimentary t-shirt.
Maybe theyll get a participation award
An Eugenio Velez Dodgers jersey might be a more appropriate award for that 0-for-50.
The Yanks sign Mike Fiers. 1 for 6
Goddamn it to hell.
Interesting maneuver by the Nats. I figured he was the one guy NYY was definitely nabbing no matter the price.
Same here. I guess Paxton changed things?
karkat
Yankees held to 5. I can’t take a financially prudent Yankee team.. The #Halcare austerity program continues.
On to plan B. Cashman always has one.
The Yankees have become very smart with their resources. If they stay this principled, then they will stay within striking distance every year. Corbin will be the next Jordan Zimmerman. Glad the Yankees didn’t lose their minds bidding for someone without much more upside, and high probability to majorly regress.
Exactly!
Every year we can be within striking distance as we watch the truly committed teams just beat us.
Fun!
Yankees desperately need to match what the Sox are putting out there every year if they want to get past playing a wildcard game to get into a division series.
Zimmerman had his flags, most of which had to do with declining velocity and stuff as evident by his lack of strikeouts. He’s nothing like Corbin who’s a lefty with an amazing slider.
money always talks.. Nats have lots of money too..
Surprised. Expected him to go elsewhere.
I guess this takes the Nats out for Harper?
Theyd have one huge payroll if they signed him. But steve adams said in his chat that he didnt think so especially with some money coming off the shelves in the next few years. I agree with that
He’s been out. I predict the LA Dodger Blues.
I’m a Nats fan, and I sure hope so. I’d rather the Nats get another SP and lock down Rendon. The Nats are set in the OF even without ten years of Harper. Wanna talk about an albatross?
Well….as a Yanks fan that kind of sucks. So much for this idea that he really, really, really wanted to be a Yankee. Can’t wait to see what he agreed to. Sort of a bummer but I guess we have to look at some short term options.
Glad that the Yankees didn’t go 6 years. I would rather see them get someone else for fewer years
+1
This really, really sucks. They’re probably gonna put all their eggs in the basket that is the bullpen. God I hated them signing CC and Gardner back, because it felt like they were just gonna play it safe.
The CC and Gardner quick signings were so horrible. I bet they could have gotten someone better than Gardner for less later in the offseason.
me too about CC, we are all shell shocked, they need to move their ARZ get HAPP
me too about CC, we are all shell shocked, they need to move their ARZ get HAPP
TO CEREAL
Bullpen? This probably increases the likelihood that they sign Harper or Machado, I would think.
What does signing CC to be a #5 and Gardner to be a 4th OF have to do with anything?
$$$$ spent for no need, and that could go to a better LF and a reliever. They signed Gardner out of loyalty and CC doesn’t make them any better.
Show me a better #5 starter for 1/$8 mil or a better 4th than Gardner.
You’re acting as if signing CC or Gardner for their given roles is somehow going to cripple the Yanks. It’s 1 year deals to play marginalized roles. Relax already. Corbin didn’t get offered $141 mil from the Yanks because they felt he wasn’t worth it not because they couldn’t afford it. You know what the difference ends up being between 5/$100 and 6/$140? About 3 mil per and 1 more year. If the Yanks felt he was worth it I’m sure they would’ve gone the extra mile.
My point is the approach they’re taking. The BP is what they’ve depended on too much over the last couple of seasons, so they’re just gonna lay back on it again. There’s also better options than Gardner for 2-3 Million a year more. Happ would have been better for the combined money they spent on those two, and a few million more per year.
What approach are they taking? They signed CC and traded for Paxton. You’re acting like this is Feb and all the good players are gone.
Show me the LF/CF available this year that would sign a 1 year deal for $2 mil better than Gardner who was a 2.5 WAR player with a good glove that we could’ve gotten,
Gregor Blanco (35)
Michael Brantley (32)
Melky Cabrera (34)
Rajai Davis (38)
Daniel Descalso (32)
Derek Dietrich (29)
Avisail Garcia (28)
Craig Gentry (35)
Carlos Gonzalez (33)
Marwin Gonzalez (30)
Brandon Guyer (33)
Gorkys Hernandez (31)
Jon Jay (33)
Cameron Maybin (32)
Rafael Ortega (28)
Gerardo Parra (32)
JB Shuck (32)
Denard Span (35)
Matt Szczur (29)
Center Fielders
Gregor Blanco (35)
Rajai Davis (38)
Craig Gentry (35)
Carlos Gomez (33)
Billy Hamilton (28)
Gorkys Hernandez (31)
Austin Jackson (32)
Jon Jay (33)
Adam Jones (33)
Cameron Maybin (32)
Andrew McCutchen (32)
Chris Owings (27)
A.J. Pollock (31)
Shane Robinson (34)
JB Shuck (32)
Denard Span (35)
Matt Szczur (29)
Chris Young (35)
Eric Young Jr. (34)
Amen
Have you seen Gardner prepping for games. True professional and great role model for younger guys. Having him on the team is a major plus because his club house presence is a major plus and his baseball is still slightly above league average.
Anyone who wants a worse player just so they can save a little money or sign for one less year is a liar or doesn’t want to win.
This is what it feels like to not be able to get anyone you want. I know, it’s new for most Yankee fans. You’ll live.
Well you know the Yankees still could’ve if they would’ve ponied up. It’s not like the highest earning team in the majors couldn’t find the money.
Just because the Yankees have money doesn’t mean that they should blow it. The guy had one solid contract year, and I don’t want to give a 30 year old 6 years. The Yankees signed ARod and Ellsbury long term in their 30’s, it’s nice to see them get smarter…
It might be a good move in the end or it may not. The Yankees can afford to take substantial risks with their spending capacity. There was no other Corbin on the market. They’ll have to pivot somewhere.
“the guy had one solid contact year” True or not saying that after the facts sounds like stuff other fans accuse Yankee fans of doing.
Jbig,
Yup
Plenty of people were saying that prior to the signing.
You totally missed my point.
So weak.
Have any ex girlfriends you need to insult?
I’m fine with them not signing him. The Nationals went way higher than I thought anyone would go and I think Corbin is good but not someone you give that much money to. The Yankees would have had to shell out ace money for what would be a #3 or #4 pitcher for them with Severino and Paxton at #1 and #2.
Did they really? He was projected at 125 by most people. They gave him 140 with a good amount of deferred money to knock the PV down. Maybe they went a little higher but you’re talking about the best arm on the market by a wide margin. Anyone else of his caliber is going to drain the farm.
Now they gotta go and sign Happ.
At some point all this deferred money is going to be an issue! I mean how many contracts recently have they set up with deferred money?
Depends. 2018 dollars might be worth $1.25 in 2028 dollars, or even more.
I think he meant the deferred money still counting towards the salary cap and not the present value of a dollar 10 years from now. For example, Mets are paying Bonilla for at least 10 more years and it’s still counted towards their cap.
You do realize how rich the owners are right?
Are you the same guy that votes against food stamps?
Paxton is not a number two. More like a number three or four when he is healthy.
I love how you guys pull stuff out of your rear ends and try to make everyone smell it.
That wasn’t a good thought. It was a stinky piece of poop.
You don’t know what those numbers mean if you think Pax is a 3.
What if the lux tax goes up with the next CBA? It won’t be such a big deal by then.
An Orioles fan really has nothing of relevance to add to MLB Trade Rumors until the Rule V draft Dan
As an Orioles fan I second that.
Tony…. too funny!!
Exactly! Wait, what? we didn’t get a player we wanted??? Welcome to being a sports fan in most markets. Crying for you guys today…
Os.
It is so obvious that the Yanks didn’t want him that badly. otherwise the deal would have gone the other way and faster, but only Yankees fans know that
I’m sure 6/$150 would’ve gotten it done. Cashman had his limits and someone else won. It’s not a heartbreaking issue.
Os fan talking trash, lol
Only in the minds of Yankees fans do guys “really really want to be Yankees.”
Hey bud…..he’s the one, or his camp circulated the story that he grew up being a tried and true Yankee fan….leading to all this speculation…
Yankee fans didn’t start the rumors….stick to talking about LA because you obviously don’t know anything about the Yankees or their fans!
He said that in an interview last year. If this troll wants to do the simple thing and just Google it he can.
Well, and anyone who listened to him lamenting that he was not a Yankee while still pitching for the Diamondbacks. He was born and raised in a Yankee household and raised on going to Yankees games. He’s still a massive fan of the team, despite playing for an opposing organization.
However, smart business says follow the big overpay when someone offers it.
To all the Yankees
Fans including me,
EVERYTHING IS MEANT TO BE.
We ain’t done
I have to think that’s a nice way to pump up bids: I’d love to be a Yankee = you need to put pay the Yankees.
I’m sure every player in the league grew up being a fan of one team or another. The bottom line is that fandom means a heck of a lot less than money when it comes to free agency.
I don’t think there’s any more worthless indicator of where a player will eventually sign than his own stated preference to play for such & such a team, play with some old friend teammate, return to some area of the country…they trick you every single time.
i cant wait to see how much emphasis Mike Trout puts on his fandom in two years… go Phils baby!
Good reply rocky7
For most people, that’s a huge compliment.
He probably didn’t want to spend the next few years pitching to Sanchez. Hard to blame him for that.
Probably $40 million dollars extra was the reason.
Boras always steers his client to the highest bidder. The Yankees should be happy they didn’t commit to a six year contract. Always beware of a player who has their best season in their walk year. Corbin is a good pitcher but six years for a starter who isn’t an ace is not a good move.
Ummm….it isn’t MY thoughts, or that of other Yankee fans. It’s what was mentioned in media reports (that he grew up a Yanks fan).
Geez I know some Yanks fans feel entitled and some fans of other teams really get upset over that number 27 but must you show hate on every single post?
Him choosing the Nats doesn’t mean he didn’t want to be a Yankee to some extent. Money talks. According to Jon Heyman the Yankees only offered 5 years 100M compared to the Nationals 6 years 140M, it includes deferrals, but still. How many players want to play for a certain team badly enough to pass up a much better offer? If the Yankees went to 6 years and their offer wasn’t too far behind the Nationals offer in salary, he’d probably be in pinstripes. In my opinion when a player says that kind of thing it only seriously comes into play if the offers are similar.
Money talks
Knicks, 6/140M.. Players always jump for the biggest pile of money.
Can’t say I wouldn’t do the same.
Yeah, I’m not mad at him. He took the most money and decided DC is where he wanted to be. I respect a self-aware person. Yanks can’t have everything we want. It just means Cash has more work to do.
I heard Harper really wanted to be a Yankee too.
I think y’all are lucky. Huge overpay IMO. Contra “cereal” on CC, I think that was a good deal.
There’s other fish still on the free-agent starter market, or all the Indians starters available for the right price.
What are the yanks gonna give Cleveland? Florial, Abreu and Frazier? There’s only so many chips left to play with. Pretty soon you’ll be in Boston’s position if you keep acquiring guys via trade rather than using your financial capabilities. You can’t have a team of all stars on severely under market deals. You make that deal I hope you don’t need much at the deadline because you’re running out of prospect capital.
We needed a lefty starter!!!
It doesn’t matter that much with starters. Teams will game plan and set their lineups accordingly, regardless. throw quality strikes, and you’ll be just fine.
Get’em Rizzo!!!
lol
there goes everyone’s predictions. mine included
0-5 so far
Say it ain’t so!!!
lol. I blew it too Scott
I can’t believe they beat out the Pirates!
Same is probably gonna happen with Machado and Harper..most money/years. Cash please don’t sign Happ.
Kind of need to get Happ. Or Keuchel but he seems to be trending downwards fast
They’ll still get knocked out in the Division Series.
If they can even get there. I would bet against them even making the playoffs next season, depending on how the rest of the offseason goes of course.
The Braves keep thinking all this young talent they have are all going to be winners. They better make some more moves.
NL east is getting very strong. I agree 100% that Braves have to get a top tier starter to continually stay at the top of division. Have to remember, Braves won the NL east largely by beating up on the other teams in the East. Won’t be so easy this year.
yea, Braves easily have the depth to swing a kluber trade or pry Greinke away from arizona, if the snakes sell off Goldy and take a page out of trader Jerry’s handbook. i dont think ATL is on Greinkes no-trade list. I bet they acquire one of these two, which is not good news for us Phillies fans. ATL is gonna be very, very good
Yeah, the Braves are gonna have to step up. The competition already seems willing to deal & spend. What they’ve done so far won’t get it done this time & neither will bringing back Markakis.
Will this tie up any available money to re-sign Bryce?
Doubt it. Strasburg can opt out after this year.
What do the Yankees do now. Gotta get one of Machado/Harper now.
Get Greinke…3 years less than corbin….a whoie lot more production.
Greinke isn’t coming to NY. I think that’s understood by both sides. Greinke has a no-trade list and the Yanks are on it. For most, it’s leverage but in his case I don’t think he wants to come to NY. Cashman agrees.
LOL
Rules out a Harper return. But Scherer Strasburg Corbin is probably the best 1-3.
Nats gotta trade for realmuto you can’t risk having that rotation and offensive struggles.
How are you trading for realmuto? You need Robles and Soto in the outfield and the marlins won’t budge on their price. That’s what we call impossible.
1. Plethora of OF options. Trade candidates and free agents. Renfroe from padres or mccutchen.
2. They could get a deal done with kieboom and garcia and recent 1st round draft picks. A realmuto deal wasnt impossible but they found a cheaper option.
You must have missed them signing Kurt Suzuki and trading for Yan Gomes.
I actually forgot they traded for gomes.
yes, they’re set at catcher now.
So the Phillies – Yankees battle for Machado and Harper continues.
On one hand, I’m like 0-5 on predictions haha. But on the other hand, I’m glad he’s not going to the Yankees. Screw them
You are about to lose Corbin AND Goldy in the SAME DAY.
HAHAHAHAHHAHAGGAHAGGAGHAHAGAHHAHAHAHHAHSHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHHAAAAAA
Theyre losing goldschmidt and gaining whatever the cardinals pay for him. Since he is agreeing to an extension it seems like that price tag isnt gonna be cheap for the cardinals.
You tried, failed, but tried.
Youre right, the Diamondbacks probably won’t contend either way ever again
Exactly. I know for a fact we’re going into a rebuild but I’m cool with that. Even with a bit of retooling we could come out alright. I’m not too worried. This guy’s just very angry that Machado, Harper, and Corbin don’t want to play for the Yankees haha
Going into blah blah blah. You were in baseball obscurity, and now… You’re still in baseball obscurity. Best known for losing good players or giving them away for free to the braves. Sad. Don’t even have a stadium anymore
Things most Yankee haters like seeing (In Order)
1 – A superstar player not signing with the Yankees
2 – That same player signing with their favorite team
Nats!!! I said Yankees and Nats were duking it out, same post said Corbin was seeking Darvish contract Lol
Same post said Corbin wanted Yu contract before it was reported here AND said Nats Yanks fighting it w/ Phills in 3rd. 10 Downvotes.. Screw you downvoters!
Anyway didn’t mean to brag, (I did, dv mean nothing) This guy was my source: wasnt twtr verified, so didn’t link him, but he “called it” before anyone. Dont know how reliable he is, but he deserves a shoutout:
mobile.twitter.com/DanJFederico/status/10696857041…
Good luck, Nats fans.
Still playoff team w/ or w/o Harper…
Nov. 3rd MLBTR predictions….”With age on his side, we foresee a bidding war taking Corbin up past Yu Darvish money.”
Would you like the link?
That was a MLBTR prediction, not quoting a news article, or source close to Patrick Corbin.
But….. Mlbtr had it tight on Corbin’s demand before anyone. Still think their Harper 420m prediction is way off but we shall see. On this accuracy.. if they’re ~10m off like Corbin… Bryce gets 410m lol
Al I am saying is you are once again patting yourself on the back for something that was already speculated.
BTW….if you look at your “source” he also says things like this in response… “Could be. It was just an opinion thought, not a fact” and more recently this….”I don’t know for certain but my gut tells me Philly would offer the most”
Now do you understand?
Yeah he backtracked, but after getting 100% correct when nobody else had your Phillies 3rd in the Corbin sweepstakes even offered most. This dude said and I quote:
“According to one person close to situation, he believes it will come down to the Yankees and Nationals – not the Phillies – in the Corbin sweepstakes. “He loves the Yankees and has a close relationship with [Nats GM] Mike Rizzo”
2 days before this signing.
Funny how you don’t talk about the countless posts of you saying “Corbin to NYY. Book it.”
Some people just can’t admit when they’re wrong.
Funny how u forgot about the Harper part of that post
Later said they would get outbid for Corbin,. And pivot to Kikuchi… U replied to that 1 too
xabial……Sorry for the delay replying but life got in the way.
You still arent getting it kid. On the previous Corbin article you posted
“Wrote Corbin was trying to meet Darvish contract yesterday before this was reported..” This was already speculated by MLBTR and others. It was not ground breaking but you claimed it as your own. Then on here you finally say “This guy was my source: wasnt twtr verified, so didn’t link him, but he “called it” before anyone.” In essence you claimed it was “your call” for hours, then admitted you had an unverified source who later wrote, despite his original statement, that it was just an opinion and not a fact. He also wrote that since the post was “blowing up” he regretted it.
BTW, do you think stating “nobody else had your Phillies 3rd” is somehow a jab? ” Yes I have been a Phillies fan at least twice as long as you have been alive but unlike you, being a Phillies fan does not define me. Can you point to one post of mine that expresses other wise. One post where I have guaranteed a signing, or bashed a poster for being a fan of a particular team? I out grew that many, many tears ago.
All I have done is try and explain to you why you get down-votes and explain that you would be happier not whining about out it or blaming it on you name, picture etc, but I am done with that now. It’s tiresome. I hope you pay as much attention to your studies as you do up/down votes.
Xab, Rizzo and the Nats gave him that offer he couldn’t refuse.
Xabes I love the new icon, it’s perfect.
Xabial. I started getting concerned when it had been more than an hour. I needed you to grace us all with your opinion and to make sure you weren’t taking it too hard. Good to see your ok!
$125 in deferred payments
I wish I could delete a comment because this typo is driving me nuts
Dont worry. Some downvoter will find it and address it.
Down-voters don’t address anything on why disagree or even take ownership. They’re cowards, faceless trolls, with exception of you.
I’ve only ever used the downvote system for you, Slevin, MYRS, and Danny B. Funny how you all support NY teams.
Probably going to be $1 every year for next 125 years
Do the other 5 divisions know the offseason is under way? Everything in the NL East for the past 2 weeks. Crazy.
The Mariners say hi. They’re in the AL West.
they traded the whole team to the NL East – that’s not really the same. But, I suppose they are sitting at the table during the garage sale…..
The Mendoza line’s got nothing on me! 0 fer 5.
$125 million in deferred payments
Maybe the Yankees swing a trade for Kluber now ?
Jan,
from your mouth to God’s
ears
And out his butt
Bye bye Bryce
Wow
Yankees are probably like dude
This has bust written all over it. Corbin has had 1 good season since TJS. Just happned to be at the perfect time for him
I kind of agree. Seems like a huge commitment given the lack of durable track record.
If the Braves traded for Trout, what would that package look like?
Trout for Soroka, Wright, Anderson, Riley, Pache?
Not good enough. And that is a strong package.
That’s what she said
I lobbed you a softball and you hit it out of the park
You just clapped while he ran the bases
Add Albies.
Start with Acuna and add the rest of those
Acuna wouldn’t go in a trout package. Too much talent and not enough years of trout. Albies on the other hand would be fair game
No one is untouchable for Mike Trout. No one.
Ronald Acuna is. You don’t trade ore arb potential superstars for two years of Trout. If Acuna was still in the minors maybe. You don’t see superstar for superstar deals for a reason anyway. Albies is a different story obviously.
That is likely why Trout will not be traded. The Angels would probably demand a player like Acuna and not back down, and rightfully the Braves would say no. I could maybe picture them trading him at the trade deadline of his final contract year if they know they are not going to re-sign him and are out of contention, but not before then.
I agree that Trout isn’t the player with the most trade value anymore (Jose Ramirez) and that Acuna is probably more valuable considering he’s controlled 4 years longer and Trout is owed $68m over the next 2 years while Acuna is owed $1m over the next 2 years and then in 4 years of arbitration has next to no chance of making $68m. Angels probably ask for him in a Trout trade anyway.
Acuna by himself for trout is a terrible deal for ATL
6 years of ROY for 2 years of trout
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha….. they’d hear the click of the phone hanging up before they could propose anything. For you’re questions it would start with Albies and Acuna…… probably Dale Murphy and Hank Aaron plus
for 2 years of Trout that would probably do it. Maybe add Enciarte there too.
Soroka, Wright, Albies, Riley, 1 more pitcher mlb ready- Newcomb fried Allard Touissant- and ender inciarte to replace trout.
I’d be satisfied with Joc Pederson or Alex Verdugo if we can’t sign Brantley or McCutchen. Also get Greinke please,the East is gonna be tough this yr.
Wow. The one time I was convinced the Yankees were in agreement they needed to upgrade their rotation.
I THOUGHT HE WAS GUARANTEED TO SIGN WITH THE YANKEES!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
I guess the Yankees are way smarter than you thought. Guess you’d better do some learning
Yankees aren’t smarter at all until we see their next move. They just missed out on the top starter. They don’t get to cry poor and there’s only so many more top trade chips in their system.
I totally agree with you.
Yet if they went 6/145 you’d be blasting them. Big time hater
Yeah I’d be blasting them for spending their money? No I wouldn’t. They could’ve offered 6/140 w no deferred payments and gotten him. Cashman wouldn’t go to 6 years so he didn’t get him. You have to pay up for talent or you don’t get it. The Yankees spending money is the last thing I would trash. They’re not spending anywhere close to their financial capacity. You don’t have any ace caliber pitchers on the way up and you don’t really have a bigger need than in the rotation. Corbin fit well and he cost nothing but a pick and $$$. You try to get a Corbin type in a trade and you’re selling what’s left of the farm.
I agree with what you said. Only point I’d like to make is since the core is pretty much in place, it’s ok to empty the farm for a front line starter.
Hal does need to stop worrying about profits first though and put the best team he can on the field.
The infield right now is a defensive nightmare. Time to pony up for Machado, get that front line starter and sign two relievers.
No reason not to get one of those two 26 year old superstars. I prefer Machado for his D, but Gardner is toast and Harper fits nicely. Stanton,Judge, Harper rotate between corners and dh.
I almost nailed this one. I am sure there is a bunch of deferred money as well. Extra year and a bit more money than others were willing to go. Nats are gonna have a sick rotation for 2-3 years.
Almost? LOL! Either you did, or you’re wrong. There is no almost.
Yankees will now trade for Zack Greinke, the only other available true Ace.
Greinke won’t waive his NTC to go to the Yanks.
Did he tell you that personally?
And you know this how?
Nope. The Yankees organization has had him ruled out as a personality who would not thrive in NY for years now; Greinke also has had NY on his NT clause for years as well. Never has wanted to come here.
I believe Yankees are on no trade not the mets
WELL. I really didnt see thay coming. The Nats over the Phils and Yanks? This guy doesnt mind losing. Dont need losers on my team.
Yankees fans thought he was guaranteed but Nats must have come in with more money. As a Sox fan I think you dodged a bullet. Usually NL to AL transition isn’t great for pitchers and with his injury history and inconsistent track record it was probably a wise move. Maybe they land Keuchel?
Nats keep moving. Both tempting Harper to return by making obvious intent to contend and loading up to protect in case he goes elsewhere.
Bryce Harper and everyone else knew the Nats were trying to contend long before this signing was made.
Yeah, agreed, but putting money where their mouths are, is action. Means more than anything they say.
6/140 wow!
Glad Brian Cashman didn’t sign Corbin. Yes, would’ve been a nice addition to the rotation but he might pitch badly in the AL East and become a liability. I thought the Phillies were going to sign him
The Baltimore-Washington deferral. Always count on it.
Yanks better get Harper now
They’ll still lose. It’s the nationals way
140??? Lmfaooooooo
Nationals wow! I guess at that rate (6/140) it’s no surprise NY didn’t go that high for him. Still a surprise though
And the one “lock” I got wrong, too. That’s one hell of a rotation though. Hope they stay healthy.
How many free agent predictions were just ruined haha
Yankees going after Kluber now?
So that’s $23.3 million per year….. for Corbin.. 😐
Of course it’s gonna have deferrals, it’s a gNats contract! But as good as their rotation will once again be for the next couple of years, I think this signing will be regrettable by them in the long term.
If The Mets truly intend to contend they now have to retain Syndergaard unless they trade for a Corey Kluber type.
Insane amount of money for a guy who will be a 3 starter on their team and who has only had 1 solid year.
Glad Yankees didn’t sign him. Way to much $$$ and years
im getting all predictions wrong.
It’s amazing how many people still view the Yankees as the evil empire even though they were about 10 in league payroll last year and haven’t really been big players in fa signings in several years.The Red Sox on the other hand spend 30-40 million more than anyone else and no one says anything about them
If Corbin is worth $140 Million, DeGrom is worth $500 million…easy..
That’s not how it works. deGrom is better but he’s not 5x better than Corbin.
Queue Yankees fans with the “He’s just another Sonny Gray anyways.”
6 years $140mil. That’s scary. Yanks and Phillies were smart to lay off. Corbin has good potential but numbers are consistent enough to tell
Aren’t*
Very disappointing he didn’t sign with the Yankees. But 140 is a lot, wish him luck. Nationals will have a very good rotation.
Yankees dodged a bullet if this is what it took to make the deal happen. There are all sorts of warning signs that Yankee Stadium would not be kind to Corbin. Despite having a great 2018, he’s still been wildly inconsistent since coming back from TJ as well. Hopefully he does well for the Nationals, I loved watching him in AZ. But he just cashed in on having all of one excellent season at the right time.
How has he been inconsistent over the last 2 years? Since returning from TJ he’s been better every year.
mmmm the taste of salty Yankee fans tears everywhere
No tears here. Too high a price but it would have been nice. They won 100 games with half a year of one great pitcher last year. This would have really put them over the top but they’ll be ok.
Keuchel and Eovaldi to the Yanks confirmed
HUGE NO THANKS
Lol I hope so too but I got a feeling they’re going to spend their money stupidly in a ditch effort to upgrade their rotation
Corbin had a really nice 2018 but his career is pretty average,,,, Career 109 ERA+ and some pretty mediocre results the previous two seasons.
That is a ton of money for Corbin…. Guy has made $15MM to date!
Not saying I didn’t want Corbin on the Yanks, because I did, but the Nats can have him for $140 million. For Patrick Corbin? No, thanks. Yanks need to bring back Happ, asap. Go after Cole next year. He’s better than Corbin.
Good for the Nationals. Winner here is the Yankees. That’s an awful lot for a pitcher and too many years.
Cashman was very wise to strike on Paxton early on hedging himself in the event this happened. There are several other scenarios for the Yanks to fill out the rotation, which are are fine. I don’t see Corbin as a #1 or #2 so he shouldn’t be paid like it either.
He’s being paid like a #2, which if he could remain consistent and give 200 inning, is close to where he is. That’s a HUGE if though. The six years is going to hurt the most. As for the AAV, that’s not #1/#2 money anymore. That’s the going rate for a quality 200 IP arm, especially a left-handed one.
I agree #2 is plausible, just that 6th year is a really tough to swallow. Pitchers are so fickle. I’m a big fan of these 3 year types of deals or trading for a guy with say, two years remaining on their contract.
That’s not how the game works. You can’t have a whole team full of guys at below market deals or have them all in arbitration on year to year deals. It’s just not going to happen. Guys need to get paid and there’s risk involved with that. 6/140 w deferred money is a risk for Corbin but he’s worth it. You want to win a WS you have to push the chips in. This leaves them kieboom+ Garcia + others for potential trades to fill in other gaps. Good signing by Washington. I’d be disappointed if I were a NYY fan today.
Damn it Braves do your homework
I think the Braves did their homework and figured for that type of money the risks were too steep.
That was quick! I wasn’t too sure about him pitching for the Yankees, but at least he’s not making teams wait.
Let’s see how he does there. I’m thinking Harper is going to stay a nat is my guess.
That’s a lot of years and money for a guy who was a league average starter in his career prior to ’18. This also probably rules out a Harper reunion with the Nationals (which seemed unlikely because Robles-Soto-Eaton is a good OF to begin with).
Have to agree. That’s so much money for Corbin. I’d be surprised if he’s worth it in 2-3 years.
WOW we all were fooled!!
But in my heart of hearts, Cashman cheaped out again.
No wonder he kept saying he did everything he could for the fans, lol
I assumed Yankees would go after him and get him there are no guarantees definitely did not see Washington getting him more surprises coming??????
as a Yankee fan I’m a disappointed but I still want a top of the order arm
So like a pitcher that can bat lead off?
A ton of money spent on a pitcher who has never been a workhorse and has significant injuries in his past. If healthy though Corbin definitely is a great pitcher.
I’m a Nats fan. I’m happy with adding a top of the roto lefty. Just a little nervous that Corbin doesn’t have much of a track record. However, all his numbers have been trending in the right direction the last three seasons.
Yeah 6/140 seems way high for him. At least it makes Darvish stupid contract not look as bad
Hal is a disgraceful tightwad, but I can’t say Corbin is worth this contract.
He’s not
The guy who traded for the biggest contract ever (Stanton), signed Arod to the biggest contract prior to Stanton’s and currently has Ellsbury and his $48 remaining sitting on the DL with no expectations to take the field is “cheap”. How soon we forget.
Except he didn’t sign a rod, he traded for him and Hank extended him after he opted out. He signed ellsbury but because Hal demanded it in response to the last Sox title and he traded for Stanton because his aav was below market value and made the Marlins kick in salary and offsetting money.
What are you? Hal’s accountant?
He makes a fortune every year but he wants to make even more at the expense of putting the best team on the field.
He’s happy contending and maximizing current income. The window of contention is now, time to push the chips into the middle of the table.
I’ll wait until Machado and Harper sign before making any kind of judgement but if they miss on the top guys and sign a bunch of really good values it’s going to say a lot.
As far as I’m concerned Judgement is still pending on the last few years as they fielded a lesser team to urgently get under the tax line.
If they aren’t planning to exceed the line by a lot this year there was zero reason to hurry and several moves look worse than they did.
Wow not sure he’s worth that much, this stuff is getting ridiculous
Surprising move indeed! The nationals almost feel like they are stuck in the middle of go for it and rebuild. As a Yankees fan I would of like to have had Corbin for 6yr/120mil but im glad they passed at that price.
He’s a decent pitcher but that’s a large contract for basically one good tear and health issues. For the record Darvishs contract sucks too
You would like him at 20 mil per year but 23 is a hard pass?
I don’t think depth in the rotation is worth as much as a top of the rotation starter. I’d rather give him 25 than give Happ 15 and CC 10.
The Yanks actually need 2 starters. Sevey needs to straighten himself out, Tanaka better stop with the freaking Homer’s he gives up, and CC, oh veh!!
Whooooooo got my first one right! And probably my only one right!!!
Nice call
Seemed like a very Nationals-esque move to make
In terms of actual value as opposed to face value, deferrals can be a good thing.
Taxes are based on where you work. So MLB players have to pay taxes in every state they play in. Once they retire, taxes only due in their state of residence. So if they live in a state with no state income tax, they are keeping more of that money. Whether or not that offsets the deferred value reduction is hard to calculate.
Plus DC does not have reciprocal agreements with any other state (prevented by an act of Congress). So if Corbin does not set up residence in DC, I believe he owes no state taxes for the games he plays in DC.
Ugly contract to be sure, but you go Rizzo!!
I’m now 0-5. Had Corbin to NYY and Kuechel to WASH. Yikes…
0-5. i had him going to the angels. so at least i’m getting closer on jersey color scheme?
Thor’s trade value just went through the roof
Great job by Corbin and his agent to use the Yankees to wrangle max money from the Nats. Yankees been used.
Thanks a lot nats. Now the price for the Indians starters just went up.
NL East loading up this offseason with many more moves by the top 4 contenders looming.
I was just about to post that the NL East is going to look more like the AL East!!
Feel like Kluber’s a good candidate to end up with a NL East club too if the Indians decide to trade. I can see any of the 4 getting him too – hoping the Nats still go for him even with Corbin.
Aaaaand that’s what I call… overpaying for a player. So I’ve seen Patrick pitch over the years here in Az. He’s had 2 1/2 good years pitching…. but has also 2 1/2 years of pretty forgettable pitching. Kinda like Jekyll and Hyde…. 2017 he had a 4.03 ERA.. 2016 he had a 5.15 ERA… and was demoted to the bullpen.
His implementation of his slider, curve ball, and the addition of veteran catcher and pitch framer Jeff Mathis helped him improve his numbers A LOT last year. I’m curious to see how he does the next couple of years but wish him the best.
When John Middleton talked about being stupid with money I never thought he was referring to the Nats
“Clearly, the organization is fully committed to a run at a return to glory in 2019 and beyond”.
That’s hilarious
The 2019 NL East starting to look tough.
Yankees pivot to Derek Holland.
How about Francisco Liriano??
They’d be better off looking at either Bucholz, or Miley than those above 2 posted above. Bucholz and miley have some upside. liriano and Holland have -0-.
This is where yankee fans come in saying how Corbin is overrated.
Take Harper off of the list of Free Agents now. With a top 3 pitchers of Corbin, Strasburg and Verlander, he’s staying in Washington.
Umm…. You mean Scherzer?
Lotto numbers pls
They got Verlander too? DiPotto is filling in for Rizzo while nobody is looking.
keyboard losers are so obsessed with the Yankees its pathetic
Instead of talking about the team Corbin signed with all they can say is THE YANKEES. It’s sad to see.
Perhaps it’s because you had a large number of Yankees fans parading around here about how they were going to get Corbin 100% and they weren’t going to pay a premium to do so. Or the fact that they really could use a Patrick Corbin to overtake the Sox. It’s a miss for NYY today. We’ll see what their next move is
I have a feeling they’ll regret this contract. Aside from this past year, he doesn’t have an outstanding track record for success. But who can say for sure…
I don’t get it. This guy had one so so year and he gets a ridiculous contract. A career 3.90 ERA apparently gets u a winning lottery ticket
That contract, for that duration, for that player, makes the Darvish deal look downright responsible. That’s a whole lot of dough to shell out in order to get yourself Patrick Corbin.
that’s a whole lotta dough!
Well, would have liked it out of the NL, but didnt want the Phil’s wasting money on him. Would rather trade prospects for affordable pitching, spend on a bat.
Eh, I think the Yankees may have whiffed on this one. Best hope now is that they sign Kikuchi. I will be fine if they can make a trade where they give up German, Adams, or Loaisiga, but I dont want them to give in and overpay for a SP by trading Andujar.
Surprised the Nats were the ones to get Corbin and not the Yankees or the Phillies.
This is a very smart move by Corbin and his team. Get a very good contract, get it early from one of the teams that might otherwise be looking to spend on Harper or Machado, and move on. Last year we saw some very strange outcomes for folks who waiting for the last dollar,
Great, now the Yanks have more reason to go after our hero Eovaldi
You know Eovaldi was a Yankee before the Red Sox
You do it to us all the time, since the beginning of your history as a great team. Babe Ruth to start.
And Ellsbury to end. (Last Bosox remember Yankees ‘stole’)
The Yankee Eovaldi experiment failed, didn’t pitch like that NYY. Doubt they re-open that, especially for what it should cost
Eovaldi going to get $150M at this rate, with the big 3 payroll teams (Bos/Nyy/Phily) or 4 teams (if you include SF), going after him! What a great comeback.
Justin, I hope Sox get Eovaldi.
But if the price goes over 4 years at 16-17M per year? They should pass.
They are still paying Fats Sandoval.
Too Tough…..Remember the last world series hero the Sox signed. Fans were all giddy. The he busted his belt and sucked.
I’m a big Eov fan but if some team gets stupid with the cash, go to plan b.
Sox are at 2o5M . Eovaldi at 15M and a closer at 15M and it doesn’t leave them with much room. They can’t go much above 15M. Or JH says screw it and spends 260M on payroll. Nice to have choices
I hate the Yankees, but they were in the right by not going 6 years on Corbin at 23+ MM per. I can’t even believe I typed that – that the Nats spent $23M on their #3 starter. Nats have no real plan and are on the verge of getting stomped by the Braves for the next 5 years.
Yankees could sign any combination of two of: Happ, Eovaldi, Keuchel, Santana, Gio, Estrada, or Fried Chicken Bartolo for half of the total money and years and still be way ahead.
The Nats have no plan? They needed help in the bullpen; added Barraclough and Rosenthal. They needed help at Catcher; signed Suzuki and traded for Gomes. They needed a solid lefty SP; signed Corbin. That looks like Rizzo implementing a plan.
You could argue that 6/140 is too high for Corbin’s record, but the Nats definitely have a plan.
Last six years: 2 Div Titles for Braves, 4 for Nationals.
Just sayin
Yes, they added guys, but the guys they added are basically complimentary pieces on a championship team. The Minnesota Twins tried the same thing last year – adding sort of good guys to fill glaring holes and we see how that worked out.
Dude they have turner, rendon, Soto, Strasburg, scherzer and Doolittle as their core. Most teams would kill to have that.
Gomes, et al may be complimentary pieces but they are absolutely necessary for a championship run. And given the above core, they come at a reasonable price.
Please name me the Twins equivalent for the above core. I’ll wait.
Nats are the biggest postseason winner so far. They just replaced Gio with Corbin, a guy who is still just 29, buying this guys age 29-34 seasons is not even a risky move (Yankees/Phillies blew it so bad here in not offering 6) and who absolutely had a eureka moment last year and a breakthrough of his ceiling. If Nats can do Robles + for Realmuto they will be massive frontrunners.
Why would the nats attempt to get realmuto? Did you just miss the fact that they traded for yan Gomes and signed Kurt suzuki? They need Robles manning CF in 2019. They have two catchers now.
Oh damn youre right, brain fart! That ones on me.
Upon further review, if the Nats get one of the many 2B options out there, and upgrade their 4-5 in the rotation, they’re going be big winners this offseason.
Lowrie seems like a nice fit there, with Kendrick backing him up and being a nice insurance policy in case of injury. Keuchel next?
I don’t think the nats can invest another 20MM Per year into a FA starter for multiple seasons. Keuchel to DC is a big no go. They’re going to have to find another back end arm but it’s not going to be of that caliber. Maybe a reclamation project or a cheaper options. Pomeranz? Holland? Joe Ross is still around for the 5 slot.
Roark and Ross 4-5. Though it’s anybody’s guess if Roark won’t be moved to the pen or just moved.
Roark’s the most sensible but with 1 year/$9m and a slow year last year, it’ll be likelier that Ross would get traded. I saw something the other day that had trade scenarios for Kluber and they listed the Nat’s offer starting with Joe Ross and Eric Fedde.
Buddy, the nats aren’t getting jack for joe Ross and Erick Fedde. Cleveland’s would laugh that proposal off. You can acquire Zack Greinke with that proposal if you agree to pay 90% of his contract and that’s about it.
6/140 is a MASSIVE deal for a guy who’s had one good year. Wow.
I think a few Teams have dodged a bullet here.
Maybe. His three year progression is pretty solid. So, either they overpaid, or they signed him at the right time and it’ll end up being a great contract. Time will tell.
It’s a good year to be a left handed SP.
It’s not difficult to show progression when you’re baseline to work from is a 5.15 ERA/4.84 FIP season, where you spent time in the bullpen.
He’s a far better pitcher now, than he was then – but even as recently as last year, he had a season WHIP of over 1.4 – that’s not so long ago.
Yankee dweebs IMMEDIATELY move to butt hurt mode and say he kinda isnt good, only good for one year etc – keep on lowering that bar you guys!
First Ohtani, then Gray, now Corbin – no one wants to pitch in the shoebox and nor should they.
I mean, how can you disagree with Yankee fans about Gray? He doesnt fare well in NY and that is a fact.
But I think you are misrepresenting Yankees fans. As a Yankee fan I think they missed out on Corbin. I believe the Nats overpaid for him but the Yankees shouldve been desperate enough to overpay for him too, given that they desperately need more SP. They got Paxton, but Paxton is injury prone.
Now that I think about it, why am I even attempting to have a reasonable conversation with someone who simply hates anything the Yankees do or anything Yankees fans say?
They didnt even overpay him, that’s not even really that much, $23M a year is almost mid-range, we’re going to start seeing $40M soon.
More than the A’s can afford Sheila!
He got more than Darvish with less success than Darvish. Seems like a bit of an overpay to me. If Kershaw gets 31M a year, 23M a year is upper mid range, not “almost mid-range”.
23 mill isn’t an overpay? If Yanks had paid that you’d be the first guy screaming about an overpay. I guess the Darvish contract wasn’t an overpay either. By the way your named after a really mediocre rock band
Beg, Corbin is a NL West pitcher. SD, SF and LA are pitchers parks with no DH.
Big gamble for NY to match the Nats price. Nats lost Harper. Who did NY lose from a 100 win team? Nats were more desperate and Corbin has a much better chance to duplicate last year in the NL
NY was being prudent. I don’t blame them
Justin-turner overdrive is just a troll who knows very little about baseball.. He or she thinks WAR is the greatest stat ever.
It isn’t an overpay if another team offered more
If the Yankees are going to cheap out every year they should win a world series every 10-20 years but at least they’ll be financially prudent.
Because winning isn’t profitable….????!!!!!
What? You do realize that overpaying someone refers to what you pay for a player in comparison to their true value, right? I didnt say “outbid”. Whether or not a team overpaid for a player is not contingent on whether or not another team offered more.
I do.
You do realize Market value is determined by what people pay on the open market right?
You don’t get to create some arbitrary value for players.
What do you use to determine what a player is worth?
Market value is only what someone is willing to pay for the product, not what the product is intrinsically worth. Just because you are willing to pay whatever the market value is, doesnt mean you are paying a value equal to the products true value. Using your logic, no team has ever overpaid for any player because they were, at one point, willing to pay whatever amount they paid to obtain that player. I think you obviously see the flaw in that, as there are a plethora of cases where a team has overpaid for a player. Of course, value can be viewed subjectively and I am not arguing against that.
“You don’t get to create some arbitrary value for players”
Who said it was arbitrary?
“What do you use to determine what a player is worth?”
Their statistics, contract comparisons with similar cases (i.e looking at similar players and what they got), and the intangibles that statistics cannot define (a players mechanics, swing, injury history, etc.)
That’s cute but it sounds like you’re a kid so I’m going to let you learn how wrong this is as you grow up.
Don’t gamble or invest until you do BTW.
Oh cool so this is how you respond when you cant come up with a counter-argument?
Hey Begamin…..don’t even respond to that Troll JTO….he is one of the biggest as_es that the world has seen…..he/she is an expert on baseball in his own mind…what am I saying he/she has no intelligence what so ever.
Yeah yeah I figured.
He begs for the Yankees to trade Andujar because he secretly wishes Andujar wasnt doing so good for the Yankees
That’s Sonny Gray’s sister.
So many whiney Yankee haters. Just a bunch of crybabies as usual.
Winning crybabies.
That’s actually whining crybabies
It’s going to be a Jordan Zimmerman Detroit signing 2.0. He’s a great pitcher but for that kind of cash no thanks!!!
“He wasn’t overpaid”
– Jayson Werth
Nats may need another bat.
Saying he had a good contract year is oversimplifying things. He was also really good prior to TJS (look at his 2013 All Star year). Seems like it just took him a while to progress back into form. He is still fairly young at 29 and has shown he has high upside. Not saying 140 is not risky, but hes not the one hit wonder people are making him out to be.
Braves gotta bite the bullet & get Greinke
I told you Nats fans to hang in there. Now look.. Yan Gomes, Kurt Suzuki, now Patrick Corbin. Fantastic job by the Nats GM whoever he is .. way to not kill your franchise by signing Harper. Nats are going to be a very good team next year. Very good.
and Barraclough.
This is a great move by Washington. They get another ace and that helps because they’ve got starters that are injury prone. All they need is another hitter to go in this lineup, preferably an outfielder. Maybe make a move for a reliever and this team is complete.
Yankee fans tears are delicious. Nomnomnom.
That aside, watch how they all instantly say he couldn’t hang in NY or he sucks.
Lolz.
Maybe try spending a little on a manager. You keep stacking talent but can’t sniff a World Series..
Well I still have goose eggs on my predictions. Wow, this one I thought for sure was heading to the Bronx. Am I disappointed? Yes. But the Nationals made Corbin an offer he couldn’t refuse. Rizzo blew Cashman out of the water, and the Phillies too, I’m guessing. Corbin is good, and has the talent to be better, but he doesn’t have the track record for a freaking $140 million deal. I guess in this case frugality is best, but man it will suck. The Ninja needs to do his thing now.
LOL – Frugality is best?
The Yankees should keep losing because other teams aren’t very smart?
Is your #3 starter worth over $23 million a year? I would definitely have been willing to go $20 million or $21 million in AAV, but at what point do you say,”Enough”? Corbin was good for 1 1/2 seasons and suddenly he’s getting Yu Darvish money? Yes he’s a good pitcher and yes I’m sore he didn’t sign, but Washington can have him at that price.
Yes. Of course he is. It was just proven when he got his deal.
What I don’t understand is how anyone wants the next best option just so we can save 3 or 4 mil this year.
What do you think that 4 mil is going to buy you and how does that make you better than if you had Corbin?
The Nationals overpaid for Corbin, plain and simple. Even the Phillies, with their “stupid spending”, did not match Washington’s offer. I will be very interested to see if Corbin lives up to this investment.
+Pinstriped
My man emac thinks that it is impossible that WAS overpaid bc he is getting a figure that WAS was willing to spend. Hence his “It was just proven when he got his deal”. Its an inherently flawed argument because it assumes whatever the highest bid is must equal whatever the player is worth, which isnt really the case. Its like saying Jacoby isnt overpaid because he signed a contract where both the buyer (Yankees) and seller (Ellsbury) were in agreement.
It’s amazing. When the Yankees outspent everybody they were the evil empire.Now that they don’t overspend and still win 100 games everyone still hates them. Yet teams like the Red Sox who spent 240 mill last year get a pass. It’s an amazing thing
Imagine if the Nats traded for Madison Bumgarner now.
Also, when Bumgarner comes back next year at full strength, he will also get his huge payday.
I would rather see the Nats go get Greinke. MadBum is insanely talented but I’d rather have Greinke to help me get through the regular season in a position to make the playoffs.
Greinke is definitely great. However, come postseason, I’m still wanting Bumgarner in the bright lights. I have a feeling he’s going to kill it next year.
Just my opinion.
MadBum is definitely better than Greinke, but everybody wants him. So there’s gonna be a bidding war, and, to win it, we’d have to give up either Florial or our three best pitching prospects, for a rental. And even then, there’s no guarantee that the Braves don’t outbid us. They have pretty much unlimited resources, on the trade market. (fangraphs values their ranked prospects at $380M…the only prospect we have who’s worth more than $15M is Florial)
Meanwhile, Greinke is off limits to pretty much everybody except the Yanks, Phils and Dodgers, because of the record salary. And, odds are, Cashman could swing a Greinke-Ells swap without any ranked prospects in the mix, to take the sting off the $35M/year price tag.
Appreciate the comment.
Nope the Red Sox don’t get a free pass, we all hate them too.
Yankees next best option is Greinke. Had the same exact 4.8 WAR as Corbin last year (got some of it with the bat, but he pitched very well in that insanely HR prone park).
Chase’s humidor resulted it is being just below average for HRs this past season (19th in that category according to ESPN Park Factors).
NYY would take on stanton’s contract but not Corbin? smh. Meanwhile, helluva sign Nats. Props from SF.
Stanton is a perennial all star and MVP. Corbin has had one good year and is already 29, which is pretty much the end of the line for mist pitchers. Please don’t respond with a list of outliers who were plus after 30 because most of those folks are hall of famers, which Corbin is not.
Lol. The Yankees took on $255M of Staton’s contract. They are paying him $25M/year, and the AAV of the contract (what counts towards the luxury tax) is $22M. This is for the guy who won the MVP last year, and is one of the biggest stars in baseball. And they got him at age 28.
Meanwhile, Corbin is a 30 year old middle of the rotation starter. Seriously, the Yankees were supposed to be okay with paying him basically the same money they’re paying Stanton, for the next six years? Stop it. It was a no brainer. Hard pass on that nonsense. This isn’t Chris Sale, this is a guy with a carreer 3.90 ERA in the National League, and a whopping 11.6 WAR over six major league seasons, who had a good walk year. Not great walk year, mind you, just good.
But the back-end of the Stanton contract is not going to be pretty and the odds of him opting out are borderline nonexistent.
His last guaranteed year is at 37. The contract ends four years faster than the A-Rod, Cano, Pujols, Cabrera etc. contracts. There are no filler years on it.
You’re correct that Corbin’s not Sale. Sale would likely fetch Kershaw/Scherzer money closer to $32-35m as opposed to Corbin’s $23m. Also, Stanton’s AAV during his Yankee seasons is closer to $28m.
Only way I wanted Corbin was at 4 years. Guy has had one good year and I don’t give a crap what his FIP and other sabermetric numbers say. The Nats just payed $140 mil for a #3 starter. Crazy offseason when PED Cano gets traded to the Mets as if he is THE answer there, and the best starter on the market is no better than a #2 MAYBE!!!
All in all I am happy. The Yankees aren’t being FRUGAl, they are being smart and don’t want too many dead end contracts to deal with.
Congratulations on being a bride’s maid again. Don’t worry, your day is coming soon! Keep in mind that Paxton has a much worse injury history than Corbin, so you’d better hope they didn’t just trade for Jacoby Ellsbury – Part 2 (you know they will offer Paxton a huge extension soon to balance out the talent they traded away).
Congratulations for being so dense you cannot tell the difference between trading for a guy who has ace stuff, is very affordable, and for a small commitment and signing a guy for six years, who has a history of elbow issues and is a #2 at best, for a large commitment cost.
The Red Sox finished in last place three years in between titles. Sorry, rather watch a winning ballclub every year. I’m not a player, a championship isn’t my main concern. Watching a competitive entertaining team is.
Watch some of Corbin’s games from last season and tell me he doesn’t have ace stuff. He’s downright nasty.
To me the only question is how long does he stay healthy. I haven’t done any research into longevity of tommy john cases so I don’t really know what the chances are he stay’s healthy long term.
If memory serves me Tommy John himself pitched forever, not sure how much was after his surgery though.
The thing about Tommy John surgery in general is the length and nature of the rehab. different athletes have different work habits and the work is what gets you to a long term healthy career. Complicating that is the level of health before Tommy John Surgery. if the tendon replacing it is in good or excellent shape AND the player is not rushed (particularly at the end of the recovery and the 1st season back, the health record is good for Tommy John.
If however a team rushes the pitcher back or over works him in the first full season Shoulder injuries tend to crop up. being a year and a half removed form the return to action Corbin SHOULD de beyond this point…Also remember the Nats & one or two other teams) are the ones who Pioneered this approach.with Steven Strasburg. if you remember, they were roundly criticized at the time for giving up a chance to go deep into the playoffs after shutting Stras down early that year.
meanwhile the braves and several other teams rehabbing TJ pitchers at about the same time used various means to extend their pitchers later into the season by increasing the rest periods (eg move to pen). most of those pitchers had shoulder trouble within the next year or two. and one or two had another Tommy John surgery..
The numbers Speak for themselves… as do the comments form that period
Now I would be surprised if the Yankees and Indians don’t hook up on a blockbuster Kluber trade. I predict Sanchez, Andujar, and a prospect going to Cleveland in the trade.
They would be foolish to give up Sanchez!
Once again we see in mlb one player having 1 good year and suddenly they get a huge contract. To top it off, if you think about it, its not just their era and pitching that deserves credit for that particular year, but the defensive shift. Yes, the shift that covers the actual center of the infield where hitters are punished instead of rewarded for perfect to near perfect timing on a pitch and playing near the grass NOT because of good pitching, but good defensive positioning. So really when you want to talk about a genuine good pitcher, then they wouldn’t have to use the shift as often. And so Corbin has that to his advantage, like many pitchers do. Im not blaming Corbin for taking the money and he probably doesnt have a choice when it comes to using it (manager probably) but I personally don’t think he deserves 23 mil by just having 1 good year and then overall underestimating the power of the shift and confusing it with good pitching which really, again derives from weak contact to strikeouts not the solid contact that moreso comes from using the extereme shifts where infielders have to play the outfield. It’s also why I think personally Wade Miley had a “comeback” year.
We also have to realize that baseball is a business and needs revenue, so while this may look good on paper, its still a bad move for baseball imo. At the very least, I would like to see back to back good years from Corbin, ideally 3/more, and one that doesn’t necessarily rely on extreme defensive shifts. If it does work and his era is low, which is what we see sometimes see in baseball, fine, but you’re relying much more on defense, which somewhat deters away from good pitching and now baseball becomes more of a hitting and defense game than what it originally was aka Pitching vs Hitting. Pitchers wouldn’t intentionally want to induce solid contact or generally more so from using the shifts, but rather focus on producing weak contact and weak flyballs. It’s like the defense is is hoping or counting on the pitcher to make a mistake so they can position themselves near perfectly.. Just dont’ be fooled guys. Overall, he’s overpaid and even if Corbin does well, I dont mind admitting Im wrong, unless the Nats heavily employ the shift which deters away from good pitching to good defense for the reasons explained above.
I think you are taking a bit of a shallow view on this signing. Your premise that one good year = big bucks (and I don’t mean Milwaukee) doesn’t apply in this case. A deeper look shows that in his first full year 2013 Corbin was a mid 3 ERA, 1.17 Whip and 178 Ks in 200+ IP. The next year was an injury shortened comeback year (TJ surgery) and after that he steadily improved till last year (his second “1 good year”) he was back to form and a better pitcher than he was before overall. Finally his age plays into this as well being south of 30 and entering his prime years…
“Nationals’ odds of winning the WS went from 20-1 to 12-1 after the Corbin signing.”
$140M well spent? 140M bought that odds improvement
He’ll be a shell of his former self after 4 years.
This dude has close to a 4.00 era over his career since 2012. Don’t see that changing, with or without that slider. I see him as a #2 most likely #3 starter.
Hes still gonna be bad after 4 years. Long deals for pitchers never work for pitchers. Ask kevin brown and mike Hampton. Even CC had a mental breakdown after 5 years with the Yankees.
Ask the last guy the Nats handed an even bigger contract to. Scherzer had a Cy Young under his belt but only 2 years of real success before the Nats signed him.
Glad the Braves never bothered with him. Not an ace, nor worth the money.
As a Cubs fan this makes me feel like the Cubs got Darvish for dirt cheap. Corbin has what, 1-2 good, not great, season under his belt in his 6 (should be 7) major league, injury laden, seasons. Guy has been in MLB since 2012 and has a whopping total of 3 seasons with 30+ starts. One of those was way back in 2013. This is why I tell my irrational Cub fan brethren to call the F*** down over the deal they gave Darvish…… it’s not that bad. And it took not even 365 days to prove that.
As for the Nationals….. I guess they’re done with Harper. I just hope the Cubs don’t go after him. They already have a much cheaper equivalent in Schwarber. Mediocre in the field, has a cannon for an arm in LF, hits about .240-.250 and can belt about 40 HRs if given full time ABs to go with a solid OBP. I find it odd how everyone talks about Schwarber being only DH worthy….. yet Harper is STILL praised as being one of the best int he game despite not having the numbers to back that up….. and his defensive numbers are just as bad as Schwarber’s in the field if not even worse. But who cares about numbers and statistics, it’s the narrative that matters, amiright. I mean that’s how people treat pretty much everything nowadays. Narrative…. empty, worthless narrative.
The Darvish deal isnt tbat bad. The chatwood deal is way worse. They should have waited for this season to get a another starter. Maybe Keuchel or Corbin. Or trade for degrom or Snell. They have plenty of major league players to part with to make a deal.
Schwarber actually had a +defensive WaR last season. People still think he is mediocre, but he is actually doing a fine job out there in LF. Schwarber does have the potential to be a home run champ, but so far his results have been disappointing. I think 2019 has to be a big year for him
Another option for the Yankees, that I haven’t seen mentioned: trade for Darvish and Ian Happ.
Worst case scenario, you write off Darvish and end up with Happ as that plus-plus utility guy who’s gonna give you 500 switch hit ABs with .340 OPB and good pop.
Best case scenario, you end up with Darvish producing for you, either in the rotation or the pen (he still had plenty of velo, and 11 SO/9, in 2018, so he’s far from done), and Happ turning into a superstar second baseman.
For who?