Rangers Should Consider Reunion With One Well-Known Free Agent Pitcher

Bringing back a left-handed pitcher is an option for the Rangers this offseason.

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As we close in on the back half of December, there are still needs that the Texas Rangers and president of baseball operations, Chris Young, have. One area that they could make an addition this offseason is with their starting pitching.

The Rangers have Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi at the top of their rotation, while youngsters Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker are looking to make a bigger impact. One of the top free agent targets, Dylan Cease of the San Diego Padres, is off the board after signing with the Toronto Blue Jays. Houston Astros left-hander Framber Valdez is still available, as is Cease's former Padres teammate, Michael King.

Texas signing either Valdez or King doesn't seem like it is something that would become reality, but there is one name that is still out there, and it is one that the Rangers know very well: Patrick Corbin. As the free agent pitching market goes down, should Texas consider a reunion with Corbin for 2026?

Should Texas Consider a Patrick Corbin Reunion?

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Corbin is a veteran left-hander who went 7-11 with Texas in 2025 in 30 starts. He was an innings-eater, working 155.1 innings with a 4.40 ERA and 151 strikeouts. He pitched well enough that more run support would likely have improved his win/loss record.

The Rangers know what they have at the top of the rotation, and with Leiter and Kumar looking to make a bigger impact in 2026, there is still a need for a veteran arm in the rotation. Bringing back Corbin (or signing Valdez away from your heated in-state rival) gives you a left-handed arm in the starting rotation.

Is Corbin going to move the needle a lot in terms of bolstering the Texas rotation? Unlikely, but what he is going to do is add a much-needed pitcher who is durable and someone who can command the strike zone enough to pitch another 150-plus innings.

The reason for considering bringing back Corbin is that there are questions as to how much money the Rangers are willing to spend this offseason. Are they going to trim a lot of payroll, and if so, how much? They have added Brandon Nimmo in a trade from the New York Mets for Marcus Semien. Although Nimmo's contract isn't the greatest, he is certainly an upgrade over Adolis Garcia in the outfield.

Along with Corbin, Merrill Kelly and Tyler Mahle are other Rangers pitchers who are hitting free agency, and Kelly has already agreed to a deal to return to the Arizona Diamondbacks. As the starting pitching market starts to dwindle, Corbin is someone whom Texas can consider bringing back on a short-term deal.

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