Reports: Former D-back Patrick Corbin agrees to 6-year deal with Nationals

The Washington Nationals have agreed to sign former Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Patrick Corbin to a six-year deal worth more than $126 million, pending a physical, according to multiple reports, including the Washington Post’s Chelsea Janes.

The contract could come out to a total of $140 million, including deferrals, according to FanCred’s Jon Heyman.

Because the contract is for more than $50 million, Arizona will get a compensation draft pick after the first round and before Competitive Balance Round A because it is a revenue-sharing team.

The Nationals, New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies were the three frontrunners during his free agency.

From the Syracuse area in New York, the left-handed starter grew up a fan in a Yankees household and attended Cicero-North Syracuse High School. And because of that — and that New York had reportedly shown interest in trading for Corbin last December — it was expected he would join with the Bronx Bombers.

Adding to the speculation about his move from the desert to the Big Apple, Corbin spoke openly with USA Today’s Bob Nightengale in April about his potential future with the Yankees. His brother even put on a Yankees hat during a best-man speech at Corbin’s wedding this offseason, according to Rosenthal.

Drafted in 2009 out of Chipola College by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, the second-round pick was traded to the Diamondbacks the following season in a deal that included pitcher Dan Haren. It would take two more years for the lefty to make his MLB debut with Arizona in 2012.

By Corbin’s second season, he’d reached All-Star status, going 14-8 in 32 starts with a 3.41 ERA and 1.17 WHIP.

Tommy John surgery ended his 2014 season before it began, and he returned for 16 games in 2015 before struggling over the next two seasons with ERAs of 5.15 and 4.03.

Corbin re-found his All-Star form and his deadly slider in his final year as a D-back. He was the team’s opening-day starter in 2018 and posted a 3.15 ERA, an 11-7 record and 246 strikeouts, the fifth-most in MLB.

With the departure of Corbin, Arizona’s returning members from the rotation last season are Zack Greinke, Zack Godley and Robbie Ray. Clay Buchholz is a free agent while Taijuan Walker is recovering from Tommy John Surgery.

Greinke has been reportedly on the block as Arizona attempts to move off his contract that pays out $35 million in each of the next three years.

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