Joba Chamberlain is entering into the final year of his contract with the New York Yankees which means one thing, trade bait. The 27-year old recently pitched a scoreless innings in both a Friday night and a Monday night game that was watched by scouts from both the San Francisco Giants and the Atlanta Braves.
There has been plenty of interest in Chamberlain this season. The Texas Rangers were the first to show interest in the right-handed pitcher, but never made an offer to the Yankees. It is unclear just how serious the Braves and Giants are in Chamberlain.
The pitcher started the 2013 season as the seventh-inning man before getting injured with an oblique strain. He has yet to look the same since returning from the disabled list, giving up 14 hits and four home runs in just over nine innings of play. Chamberlain will be a free agent at the end of the season and is likely out of New York either way. While looking unimpressive this season, the pitch has been the subject of a lot of boos.
"I would boo me, too. I'm terrible right now. There's no getting around it. You come and spend money, you want to see somebody do their job," Chamberlain said after allowing a two-run homer against Texas.
Chamberlain's ERA has bloated to a staggering 5.75 this season, making any interest in him seem questionable at best. Not to mention, Chamberlain has an extensive history with injuries that has limited his production with the Yankees. He still carries a mid-90s fast ball and would be a good addition to a team in need of a powerful right-hander.
The Giants have several right-handed pitchers in the bullpen, but two are currently on the disabled list, making a trade for Chamberlain seem fitting. They also have George Kontos in the bullpen but he has yet to be able to duplicate his success from last season. The Braves seem to be in the least amount of need for Chamberlain. Their bullpen is very heavy on right-handers with Anthony Varvaro, Jordan Webb and Cory Gearrin. Plus there is that guy, Craig Kimbrel that is doing a fine job of holding down the unit.
Chamberlain is nowhere near the Yankees' future plans for the bullpen. He is out whether by trade or free agency. New York would be smart to work out a trade deal to at least receiving something in return.