Patrick Corbin's offseason tour made a stop in New York on Thursday, as the prized free-agent left-hander met with the Yankees.
According to a source, Corbin met with Yankees brass at Yankee Stadium, the latest stop in this week's tour of East Coast clubs. Corbin visited the Phillies on Tuesday and Nationals on Wednesday, sources said.
Widely considered to be the top free-agent starter available, Corbin is being wooed by numerous teams. But historically, when the Yankees set their sights on a player, they typically have a way of getting their man.
The Yankees have prioritized pitching in the early weeks of this offseason, re-signing Carsten Sabathia and trading for left-hander James Paxton in a deal with the Mariners. General manager Brian Cashman has been on the record several times saying that he wants to acquire one more starting pitcher, and according to sources, Corbin is at the top of the Yankees' wish list.
Similarly, Corbin is believed to have the Yankees atop his personal list, having grown up near Syracuse rooting for the Bronx Bombers.
One executive thinks Corbin and the Yankees appear destined to make a deal, no matter how many teams he meets with.
"All I keep hearing is Corbin to the Yankees," the executive said. "The rest of this feels like nothing more than trying to push the Yankees' offer up as high as possible."
Corbin is believed to be seeking a six-year deal in excess of the $126 million Yu Darvish got from the Cubs last offseason.
Should Corbin sign with the Yankees, he would have to find a new uniform number. He's worn No. 46 for his entire career, but that's not available in the Bronx, having been retired for another lefty -- Andy Pettitte.
Back in April, Corbin told USA Today that it "would definitely be great" to play in the Bronx, adding, "I grew up a Yankee fan. My whole family are Yankee fans." Corbin has an autographed Pettitte jersey hanging in his home, along with a signed photo of his other favorite player, Tino Martinez.
The 29-year-old Corbin is 56-54 with a 3.91 ERA in six seasons with the D-backs, though he was 11-7 with a 3.15 ERA in 2018, reaching the 200-inning mark for the first time since 2013. The two-time All-Star also posted career bests in WHIP (1.05), FIP (2.47) hits per nine innings (7.3) and strikeouts per nine (11.7), ranking third in the National League with 246 strikeouts.
The Yankees' rotation currently consists of Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka, Paxton and Sabathia. Sonny Gray remains on the roster, but the Yankees plan to trade him in the coming weeks. Jordan Montgomery will also be in the mix at some point, but he's not expected to return from Tommy John surgery until sometime this summer.