Tigers agree to terms with Chamberlain on 1-year deal
The Detroit Tigers are bringing back free-agent reliever Joba Chamberlain.
Chamberlain and the team agreed to terms on a one-year deal, Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski announced Tuesday to reporters at the club's spring training complex in Florida. The deal is worth $1 million, plus incentives, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
"He really wanted to come back," Dombrowski said, before adding Chamberlain turned down offers from other clubs worth more money.
The Los Angeles Dodgers were among several teams that had reportedly expressed interest in the veteran right-hander.
Chamberlain worked primarily out of an eighth-inning, set-up role in Detroit last year and excelled, providing stability for a Tigers bullpen that struggled to find consistent results during the regular season. He pitched to a 3.57 ERA with 59 strikeouts over 63 innings, though his success waned following the All-Star break.
The hard-throwing reliever bombed in his only two postseason appearances, allowing a combined four earned runs and three hits in just 1/3 innings during the club's AL Division Series against the Baltimore Orioles.
Chamberlain was especially ineffective in Game 2 of the series after entering the content in the eighth with a three-run lead and leaving one out later with the bases loaded. The Orioles went on to win the game and sweep Detroit out of the playoffs.
Despite his struggles, the Tigers have long held interest in bringing the 29-year-old pitcher back to provide insurance behind a volatile group that includes closer Joe Nathan.
"We have unfinished business as a team and I personally do," Chamberlain said Tuesday. "That was a big factor."
Dombrowski said following the season that Chamberlain's second-half meltdown – he limited opponents to a .590 OPS prior to the break compared to a .726 OPS post – was in part a result of his ailing mother's condition.
The former top prospect spent his first seven seasons as a member of the New York Yankees before signing with the Tigers as a free agent last winter.