Trade Rumors: Phillies Interested in Joba Chamberlain

According to Mark Feinsand of New York News Daily, the Philadelphia Phillies are expressing interest in New York Yankees reliever Joba Chamberlain.

It is no secret that the Phillies are open to trading Michael Young and even Carlos Ruiz, both of whom may be available to get a possible trade finalized with the Yankees.

However, Feinsand asserts that New York GM Brian Cashman has lost interest as of late with a potential trade with Philadelphia. Cashman’s interest level combined with the fact that the Phillies are still a ways out of the division lead (7 1/2 games) in the NL East can be looked at as reasons why a deal involving Chamberlain has yet to occur.

While the Phillies could use the extra help in the bullpen, trading for Chamberlain would only be a worthy move if Philadelphia was gearing for a potential playoff run as renting a player in their contract year may not be the best decision for a team looking to rebuild for next season.

Due to the fact that the Phillies may not rebound to become contenders within the stretch ahead, such may completely null and void a trade between the two teams, as it can be assumed that Philadelphia would rather avoid picking up Chamberlain’s contract while New York the same with the contract of Michael Young.

If Philadelphia is willing to take that risk and is insistent on making a postseason run, a deal for Chamberlain can be considered justifiable. However, if such is not the case for the Phillies, the Yankees may wish to look to a contending club who shows interest in Chamberlain.

The Atlanta Braves have recently expressed some interest in Chamberlain and may be that contending team New York can work with towards a deadline deal.