SURPRISE, Ariz. -- The Rangers needed innings. They got them.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Rangers announced that they signed veteran left-handed pitcher Patrick Corbin to a one-year deal in order to fill innings in the rotation. Last week, a pair of starters in Jon Gray (wrist fracture) and Cody Bradford (elbow soreness) were sidelined, causing the current need for more starting pitching depth.

“Obviously, in the last week, circumstances have changed internally with our starting pitching and the depth,” said president of baseball operations Chris Young. “We felt like signing Patrick Corbin was an opportunity to bring in somebody who has really been an inning stabilizer over the past 10-plus years. He’s a veteran player, a competitor, by all accounts and just a winning personality. He’s somebody who's going to fit in our clubhouse well and gives us added protection.”

Corbin made 32 starts for the Nationals in 2024, posting a 5.62 ERA across 174 2/3 innings. The 35-year-old southpaw led Washington in games started (170), innings pitched (946 2/3) and strikeouts (832) over his six-year tenure with the club (2019-24), ranking third in MLB in starts during that span.

More importantly, he’s made 30 or more starts in every full MLB season since 2017.

“There's no doubt this is a player who has a tremendous track record of health, taking the ball and posting,” Young said. “The innings matter to us. I think our team's built in a way to protect our starting pitching with an offense that's going to score some runs. We played very good defense. I think Patrick will benefit from that as well. He certainly fits a need that we have at this moment. I don't see any reason why he can't contribute all season long, if he pitches like he did, really the second half of last year.”

Despite having a 5.68 ERA in the second half of 2024, compared to a 5.57 ERA in the first half, Young noted that the underlying stats in the second half were more than serviceable.

Corbin had a better FIP (4.72 to 3.96), opponents' wOBA (.370 to .388), opponents' on-base percentage (.359 to .331) and opponents' slugging percentage (.511 to .451) after the All-Star break.

Additionally, his K rate (15.9% to 21.6%), walk rate (7.6% to 5.9%), hard-hit rate (48.3% to 44.1%), barrel rate (9.8% to 5.9%), opponents' xBA (.314 to .268), opponents' xSLG (.507 to .451) and opponents' xwOBA (.380 to .322) were all better post-All-Star break as well.

Young credited the improvement to a change in pitch usage, specifically as it pertains to using his cutter and slider more, especially to right-handed hitters.

“I think the results of the second half, maybe the last 20 starts or so, were very positive,” Young said. “He’s been limiting the damage. Our hope is that we can make some improvements with that, continue the adjustments that he's made, and get a pitcher who can help us win a lot of games.”

While the plan is for Corbin to slot into the rotation, it’s unclear if that will happen Opening Weekend. Young said that Corbin’s wife is expecting a child within the next 24-48 hours, and he is not expected to report to Arizona. He will join the club in Texas next week.

That being said, Young noted that Corbin is built up to about 80 pitches from throwing live batting practice at his home in Jupiter, Fla.

“This has all come together very quickly,” Young said. “I think it's unfair [to say when he’ll start] without seeing him or being with him in person to have that conversation. I think most importantly, we're signing him because we believe he can contribute over the course of the season to our team. We can't put him in harm's way early by rushing something.”

The addition of Corbin likely leaves one of Jack Leiter or Kumar Rocker on the outside looking in to start the season. While they’re both still in the rotation competition, Young said, Corbin's arrival clearly changes the calculus of the pitching staff.

“There's an opportunity for both of them to make the team, whether it's in the rotation or in long relief,” Young added. “We're obviously going to need innings one way or another. Performance is going to dictate it, which is a great thing. There's an opportunity for somebody to just take it and win a spot. Patrick may or may not be ready to start the season. There may be two spots available. We've got a lot to figure out in the next 10 days before Opening Day.”