- River Avenue Blues has a bold suggestion that actually isn't that bold - trying Joba Chamberlain as a starter again. This is out of desperation, more than anything else:
Joba Chamberlain at his peak is the number 2 starter the Yankees are searching for. In an offseason where the Yankees have chosen not to throw money at big money targets like C.J. Wilson and Mark Buehrle, or even one year deals for the likes of Hiroki Kuroda or Roy Oswalt, Chamberlain lays in the weeds as a cost-controlled option already on the books. A lottery ticket sitting in the Yankees’ wallet that doesn’t even require a trip to the store. If the 2008 version of Joba the Starter turns up, he’s an improvement over every non-Sabathia member of the current rotation. If 2009 Joba turns up, he still may be an improvement over back-end question marks like Phil Hughes, Burnett and an even older Freddy Garcia.
- The Yankee Analysts disagrees, however, and thinks Brian Cashman should kick the tires on Joba's trade market:
(B)y the time he is fully recovered from his Tommy John Surgery, Joba will still be a 26-year-old power arm with experience as a starter. Last time I checked, the Yankees weren’t the only team in need of starting pitching help, and Joba is dangerously close to becoming an afterthought in the Yankee organization for the reasons mentioned above, so why not try to stir up some interest around baseball and see if there’s a market for him?
I'm not sure what I think. Joba is in something of a no-man's land right now, as the Yankees already have plenty of good relievers and don't need a "6th inning" guy, along with a handful of major-league ready starters in AAA like Hector Noesi and Adam Warren to back up the guys currently slotted for the five rotation spots. I hate to say this, but he's almost in the same territory that Ian Kennedy was prior to 2010.
I've been saying for almost 2 years that Joba doesn't need to be an ace as a starter, he just needs to not suck horribly. If the Yankees are willing to gamble on 30-something reclamation projects like Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia (twice, no less), I have a hard time understanding why they can't do the same for a 26 year old who can still light up the radar gun. What do you think?