After being spotted by Eddie Michels of Rocket Sports & Entertainment at the Bobby Mattick Training Complex throwing off a mound wearing Blue Jays gear, it appears that Joba Chamberlain has signed a minor league deal with Toronto, according to Joel Sherman's tweet.
@Joba_44 & Vladimir Guerrero Jr. #Dunedin Mattick complex http://t.co/ACBG765k6b #EddieMichelsPhoto @BlueJays pic.twitter.com/qn4y4mmPTe
— Rick Sassone (@RocketSportsEnt) July 21, 2015
Hear #Bluejays have signed Joba Chamberlain to a minor league contract #Yankees #Tigers
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) July 22, 2015
According to Jon Heyman, he is destined to be assigned to "Florida" to get back up to speed, so it means he'll either get assigned to the GCL Jays or the Dunedin Blue Jays for a few games before moving up the ladder.
Chamberlain, who turns 30 in September, was released by the Tigers prior to the All-Star break after posting a 4.09 ERA / 5.47 FIP / 3.97 xFIP and 1.682 WHIP in 30 games. Through a small 22-inning sample, his strikeout rate is down to 14.9% this season, compared to his career average of 22.7%. His five home runs given up in that span is not promising either, but his fly ball numbers are actually down from previous levels.
This is a (nearly) no-cost, no-risk move for the Blue Jays so there is no reason to not like it.
UPDATE
The signing is now official. According to Gregor Chisholm, Chamberlain will be headed to the triple-A Buffalo Bisons after a stint at Bobby Mattick.