There's Cubs interest in signing the former Yankees reliever, according to one report.
Joba Chamberlain. "The Joba Rules." Remember those postseason days from 2007?
I'm guessing if he had come up through any farm system other than the Yankees', he wouldn't have nearly the notoriety he does now.
He was supposed to be the next big thing in New York, either setting up Mariano Rivera or in their rotation. Instead, his career has been one long injury list, from shoulder trouble to oblique strains to Tommy John surgery. And that's not even including the frightening ankle injury he suffered while on a trampoline with his nephew -- that one was considered life-threatening, never mind his baseball career.
Joba has been good at times, mediocre at others. His 2013 season fell under the latter category, and now he's a free agent. And I write this post because:
Source: Cubs and Royals are among the suitors for Joba Chamberlain. Doesn't sound like anything is imminent with either, however.
— Mark Feinsand (@FeinsandNYDN) December 6, 2013If you are not familiar with Feinsand, he is the Yankees beat writer for the New York Daily News.
Given his injury history, Joba seems exactly the type of pitcher that Theo and Jed like to do a "buy low" on. Even though it seems as if he's been around forever, he just turned 28 last September. If he's healthy, he could be a decent addition to the Cubs' bullpen, as long as the price is reasonable. Joba made $1.875 million in 2013 and is probably in line to get about $3 million due to his length of MLB service. That's not an unreasonable risk in this market; I'd probably do it for that, maybe even put out a second-year option that vests with a certain number of appearances/innings.
What say you?