The Yankees are two days removed from the playoffs, but the rumor mill is already churning for the 2019 season. New York is expected to target left-hander Patrick Corbin in free agency this winter, according to MLB Network Insider Jon Heyman.
Corbin, 29, is coming off a career year with the D-backs. He made the National League All-Star team for the second time in his career -- and first since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2014 -- and set career-best marks with a 3.15 ERA, a 1.050 WHIP and 246 strikeouts in 33 starts.
The D-backs are expected to extend a one-year, $17.9 million qualifying offer to Corbin, which means it will cost the team that signs him a Draft pick.
Corbin grew up in upstate New York and has expressed interest in playing for the Yankees. He'll be one of the top pitchers to hit the open market this offseason, and the Yankees are looking to shore up a rotation that ranked among the middle of the pack with a 4.05 starters ERA in 2018.
Resigning left-hander J.A. Happ -- who was acquired in a trade with the Blue Jays in July -- remains a possibility, and the Yankees could also bring back 38-year-old veteran Carsten Sabathia for another season, per Heyman.