Angels keep ignoring low-risk rotation solution hiding in plain sight

It won't surprise many fans who tuned into the end of his Nationals tenure, but southpaw Patrick Corbin remains a free agent on the cusp of spring training. However, Corbin began to turn things around last year with the Rangers. Taking advice from Mike Maddux, the 36-year-old produced his best season in a half-decade, posting a 4.40 ERA and 4.25 FIP in 155 1/3 innings across 30 starts. Maddux, of course, is now the Los Angeles Angels' pitching coach.

Given the precarious position the Halos find themselves in regarding their rotation, wouldn't it make sense to take a low-risk flier on Corbin, reuniting him with the coach who saved his career? It certainly wouldn't cost much, and further improvements could be on the way for the veteran left-hander.

Free agent Patrick Corbin would provide much-needed stability to Angels' rotation

Corbin was tremendous in his first season with the Nationals in 2019, authoring a 3.25 ERA and 238 strikeouts in 202.0 innings. Then, the wheels fell off. From 2020 through the end of his tenure in Washington D.C., he led the league in hits allowed three times (2020, 2022, 2024), earned runs allowed three times (2021, 2022, 2024), losses three times (2021-23), and home runs allowed once (2021).

Thus, it was no surprise when he was still lingering around in free agency deep into spring training last year. The Rangers mercifully scooped him up on a one-year deal worth a shade over $1 million, but the shine had completely worn off on the two-time All-Star.

A funny thing happened in 2025, though: Corbin began to look a little more like his old self. His ERA and FIP were the best he had produced since his first season with the Nationals, much of which was wrought by a tweaked changeup designed to attack right-handed hitters low and away. The proof was in the pudding: In 2024, Corbin allowed a .374 wOBA to righties, while in 2025 that mark dropped to just .337.

Even if he can't carry some of those improvements forward into 2026, there's still a baseline value he provides to his teams; despite all his struggles, Corbin is still one of the most durable starters in the world. Since 2016, he has thrown 150+ innings in every season except the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign.

That'd be an invaluable skillset to an Angels rotation currently praying that Grayson Rodriguez and Alex Manoah will make it through a full season unscathed. He may come with a lot of baggage, but Corbin proved with Maddux last year that his flame isn't extinguished quite yet.