Free agent starter Patrick Corbin chose not to sign with the New York Yankees, which could open the door to a few other big Bronx signings.
It’s time for the New York Yankees to move on from Patrick Corbin. The lefty has signed with the Washington Nationals, per a report by the Washington Post’s Chelsea Janes:
Nationals have agreed to terms on a deal with Patrick Corbin, according to a person familiar. Pending physical.
— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) December 4, 2018
The Yankees took their best shot at Corbin in a late November meeting, and the 29-year-old’s family even wanted to see him in New York. In the end, though, it was the Nationals who won out.
According to Fancred’s Jon Heyman, Corbin will get $140 million for six years of his services. The Bombers likely had a similar deal on the table, and now they’ll have to find somewhere else to spend that cash. They could go in a few different directions.
They could round off their rotation with a short-term solution, such as J.A. Happ, focusing the remaining millions elsewhere. The extra money could go toward bringing back David Robertson and Zach Britton, or adding someone new like Kelvin Herrera.
Bryce Harper and Manny Machado are still available as well. However, they’ll require adding around $200 million to the money that would have gone to Corbin.
Yet another option is Japanese lefty Yusei Kikuchi. The Seibu Lions posted their star on Tuesday, and he’s all set to negotiate with MLB teams.
There are questions about Kikuchi’s health, after issues in his left shoulder forced him to miss time in the 2018 season. But the 27-year-old still put up a 3.08 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in 163.2 innings.
He’ll have a long list of suitors, and with Scott Boras as his agent, his price could skyrocket. If the Yankees are feeling desperate, they could overspend on Kikuchi just to make sure no one else snags him.
New York may have whiffed on Corbin, but there are still plenty of arms available. Plus, there’s always Gerrit Cole waiting in free agency after next season.
