ARLINGTON -- Within the last week Patrick Corbin has finally signed a Major League deal after waiting all spring, had his third child -- a son named Warner -- and finally joined the club in Arlington on Monday.
Corbin signed with the Rangers on March 18, but didn’t report to the club’s facility in Surprise, Ariz., because his wife was due to give birth to the couple’s third child any day. Warner was born on Saturday.
So yeah, busy week.
“I'll just say we never thought it would have gotten that late into spring [before signing],” Corbin said. “Crazy week there, signing with a team and then having a baby. There's kind of a lot going on, but our family's happy that we were able to find a spot. Everyone's healthy back at home. Definitely a lot going on, a lot of travel, but I’m looking forward to being here and getting a routine and getting to meet the guys.”
Corbin threw a sim game of about 75 pitches at Globe Life Field on Monday before the Rangers' exhibition matchup with the Royals. The veteran right-hander has been building up in West Palm Beach all spring, and has thrown as many as 85 pitches, but still likely won’t be ready for Opening Day.
“I'm not quite sure when I’ll be ready,” Corbin said. “I feel like I could be ready whenever they need me. It's just that I haven't really spoken [to manager Bruce Bochy and pitching coach Mike Maddux] about some of those things yet. But physically, I feel pretty good with everything that's going on. I’m happy where I'm at. I was throwing on backfields, and obviously adrenaline is not as high as a game, so that could be a little different, but I’m looking forward to it. I was trying to do as much as I could to be ready whenever I did sign. I'm pleased with where I am.”
Signing Corbin was a necessary move for the Rangers, who lost two starting pitchers in Jon Gray (wrist fracture) and Cody Bradford (elbow soreness) during the final two weeks of Spring Training.
While the pitching depth was still good with a trio of veterans in Nathan Eovaldi, Jacob deGrom and Tyler Mahle, as well as a pair of rookies in Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker, Texas still needed innings when looking at the long term throughout the season.
deGrom, Mahle and Rocker are all coming off Tommy John surgeries and will likely need inning management throughout the course of the season. Corbin made 31 or more starts in every full MLB season since 2017.
In 2024, his 5.62 ERA left a lot to be desired, but he made 32 starts for a total of 174 2/3 innings, and president of baseball operations Chris Young noted that his numbers were better in the second half of the season.
The 35-year-old southpaw led Washington in games started (170), innings pitched (946 2/3) and strikeouts (832) over his six-year tenure with the club (2019-24), ranking third in MLB in starts during that span.
“I love to compete,” Corbin said. “Over the years there in D.C., things got tough, but I just always took pride in taking the ball every fifth day, whether results were good or bad. I think just having a fresh start here and physically, I feel just as good and capable of going out there and getting back to where I was and getting maybe another set or two of eyes on me to maybe get a game plan that works.
“You don't always feel your best. That's our job as a starter -- to take the ball. I've definitely taken pride in that, going out there, competing and pitching deep into ballgames, whether things are going well or they're not.”