Rangers Sign Former Cy Young Finalist as Reclamation Project

The Texas Rangers signed Corbin to a one-year deal on Tuesday. The deal is for slightly over $1 million guaranteed plus incentives, according to national MLB reporter Jon Heyman.

Texas needed another arm in its pitching rotation after Jon Gray fractured his forearm over the weekend. Cody Bradford is also currently out with a sore elbow.

Although Corbin's money is guaranteed, we can't say the same for his rotation spot. His struggles in Washington were extreme, and the Rangers are still hopeful for young arms Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter. 

Rocker likely has a spot waiting after carrying a 3.86 earned run average in three starts for Texas at the end of the season. This spring has been shaky, however, as Rocker has given up 12 hits and 11 earned runs in 4 1/3 innings over three starts.

Corbin's signing may mean Leiter gets more time to blossom at Triple-A, however. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft has yet to live up to the billing. He went 0-3 with a 8.83 ERA with seven home runs allowed in 35 2/3 innings for the Rangers in 2024. 

Jacob DeGrom is expected to ace the staff if healthy, while Nathan Eovaldi and Tyler Mahle are likely to take the No. 2 and No. 3 spots.