Welcome again to the 2025-26 version of Smash or Pass, during which we study potential free agent and commerce targets to find out whether or not the Purple Sox ought to pursue them and what it could take to land them. Right this moment we have a look at a veteran pitcher who had one thing of a bounce-back yr in 2025.
Who’s he and the place does he come from?
He’s Patrick Corbin. He simply got here from a yr within the Rangers’ rotation after taking part in six seasons on the Nationals. The lefty and former Syracuse Orangemen was a 2009 2nd spherical draft decide. With the Purple Sox buying Sonny Grey from the Cardinals and Johan Oviedo from the Pirates, it may not look like they want one other back-of-the-rotation starter proper now. However with rumors that the Sox may package deal some younger pitching collectively for an enormous commerce, it’s price maintaining a tally of doable depth replacements.
He was one of many best possible within the sport… a couple of decade in the past as a member of the Diamondbacks. On the age of 36, he’s nonetheless a sturdy starter good for 5-inning begins and producing floor balls. He has nearly no velocity to talk of anymore and has been very hittable. He ranks within the lowest thirtieth percentile in strikeouts, which is definitely the highest he’s ranked because the pandemic. Corbin, who locked up two All-Star nominations in 2013 and 2018 in addition to a World Sequence in 2019, just isn’t championship or award caliber anymore. However he’s very malleable and adjusts his mechanics. He was one of many least helpful pitchers in baseball a couple of years in the past, however any previous canine that learns new methods at 36 sufficient to achieve over a run on his ERA could also be worthy of a flyer by this entrance workplace once they inevitably search for bargains.
Tl;dr, simply give me his 2025 stats.
31 video games, 155 1/3 IP, 4.40 ERA, 4.76 FIP, 51 BB, 131 Okay
Present me a cool spotlight.
Right here’s him doing our favourite factor, hanging Yankees out, thrice in a single inning.
One could keep in mind when Corbin was so flustered in Washington’s rotation that potential Juan Soto trades were packaging Corbin’s negative value together with Soto’s generational expertise. It’s because Corbin already made his cash on this league by signing a 6-year, $140 million cope with the Nats after going by way of a full three arbitration years in Arizona. The lefty is really simply in it for the love of the sport at this level; final yr in Texas, he was inked for $1.1 million, and as he didn’t do something too particular apart from supply a replacement-level arm within the rotation, he doubtless wouldn’t be an excessive amount of dearer in 2026 as he continues to age.
Why would he be a very good match on the Purple Sox?
Learn that final part once more. That is the Purple Sox. They love a very good reclamation venture, particularly if it doesn’t embrace throwing cash at somebody (although Patrick Sandoval would really like a phrase right here.), and particularly if they should rebuild some pitching depth after packaging a couple of arms in a commerce.
Corbin has basically been three totally different pitchers on this league. He had loads of velocity earlier than a Tommy John surgical procedure in 2014, and nonetheless had some instantly after returning. However the extension on the fastball was too guessable, and he adjusted to throwing his slider nearly twice as a lot as he had beforehand. This resulted in additional grounders. Plus, he’s reliable for a set variety of innings, and as addressed lots this offseason, coming off final yr’s damage woes, there may be generally no higher capability than availability.
Why would he not be a very good match on the Purple Sox?
In the beginning, these aforementioned grounders nonetheless require infielders to area them successfully with out being charged an error, one thing that, following the deal for Grey, ought to take precedence over a replacement-level pitcher. Additionally, the Purple Sox merely have an excessive amount of depth that’s NOT 36 years previous or who’ve simply had an ERA over 5.20 in 5 of the final six seasons. If the group does begin with some amalgamation of Tolle-Early-Crawford at the back of the rotation subsequent yr, assuming the entrance appears to be like like Crochet, Bello, Grey, I’d a lot somewhat kick the tires on the homegrown expertise that confirmed some promise within the playoff run final season.
A really definitive cross. Nevertheless, I might perceive the kind of transfer if the Purple Sox do signal him for proper round that million greenback mark, and in the event that they commerce a couple of huge league prepared arms over the following few weeks. However, usually talking, signing a Corbin kind in 2026 would spell out a group resigning itself to a different season of mediocrity. Plus, there have been too many seasons the place a deal was on the market and the group ended up making a laughably smaller-scale transfer of that caliber. This league is kinder to groups who spend cash on extra confirmed techniques, so hopefully the Purple Sox keep away from any such low-risk, low-reward gamble.
