:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/15778063/gyi0060093181.0.jpg)
Remember the Joba Rules? Don't feed him after midnight, replace your divots, don't talk about Yankees club, and don't talk about Yankees club. They were meant to protect Joba Chamberlain from overuse because he was a pillar of the Yankees' future. Now he might be on the block.
And, say, guess who is interested? From the New York Post:
CLOAK AND SHAG HER: CIA boss Petraeus quits over affair
Whoops. Wrong one.
Sources say Braves, Giants interested in Yankees' Chamberlain
From the article:
The Giants sent scout Lee Elder to Target Field for last night’s Twins-Yankees game exclusively to watch Chamberlain. He posted another scoreless frame but walked and hit a batter.
"Brian, it's your cousin, Marvin. Marvin Sabean. You know that new way to lose ballgames you've been looking for? Well, listen to this!
/holds phone up to Chamberlain's outing"
Man, it's only Tuesday and I've fulfilled my Gremlins and Back to the Future quota. Thanks, Yankees! Thanks for making your previously untouchable p ... hey, wait, why are you making your previously untouchable pitcher available?
| Year | Age | IP | H | HR | BB | SO | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 25 | 2.83 | 28.2 | 23 | 3 | 7 | 24 |
| 2012 | 26 | 4.35 | 20.2 | 26 | 3 | 6 | 22 |
| 2013 | 27 | 5.75 | 20.1 | 25 | 4 | 10 | 22 |
| 7 Yrs | 3.83 | 423.0 | 411 | 43 | 166 | 430 | |
| 162 Game Avg. | 3.83 | 103 | 100 | 10 | 40 | 105 | |
Ah. He's pitched 20 innings every year, and the last 40 of those have been pretty bad. Usually when teams that fancy themselves contenders start offering up the players on their 25-man roster, it's a bad sign.
But the stuff is still pretty good. At least, he throws hard. He could be a feller in need of a change of scenery, especially considering the Yankees play in a pretty extreme hitter's park. I'm not opposed to the idea, especially considering that his control is usually much better than he's shown in his 20 innings this season.
The problems as I see them:
1. The Yankees would probably want something back
2. Joba is a free agent after the season
3. Joba would somehow get tangled in a licorice rope with Jeremy Affeldt, and they'd both fall off the deck of an ocean liner
But if the Yankees are offering free Joba because they're tired of him/in need of the roster space, sure. That's a flyer worth taking, especially for a team messing around with relievers at the back of its 40-man roster. I'm in. Plus, the team is running short on oafs. Their OAF+ rating is dangerously low. Here's a chance to oaf the place up.