Why Blue Jays appealed to Joba Chamberlain

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker discuss what the Joba Chamberlain signing means to the rest of the Blue Jays bullpen, basically saying other than Osuna, Sanchez and Bo Schultz, no job is safe.

Joba Chamberlain is hoping he can help out the back end of the Toronto Blue Jays’ bullpen.

In a guest appearance on Baseball Central Wednesday, the veteran reliever, who officially signed a minor-league deal with Toronto on Tuesday, explained why the Blue Jays appealed to him.

“Toronto is a special place for me,” Chamberlain told hosts Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker on Sportsnet 590 The Fan. “(I) made my (MLB) debut there. Seeing the team they had (there). I’m looking forward to not facing their lineup.”

The 29-year-old was 0-2 with a 4.09 ERA, 15 strikeouts, five walks, and five home runs allowed in 22.0 innings with the Detroit Tigers before the club released him on July 10.

In the meantime, Chamberlain has been throwing bullpen sessions and playing catch in order to keep his arm in shape. However, he won’t be ready return to action until he faces live batters and spends time working on game situations.

“The arm is in shape. Everything feels great. I’ll throw another bullpen (on Thursday) and go from there,” he said. “It’s not that I’m too far out. It’s just getting in those games. I don’t foresee it taking long, but this game will dictate itself.”

The veteran reliever is currently working at the Blue Jays’ minor-league complex in Dunedin, Fla. and will likely report to triple-A Buffalo within the next few weeks.

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