“Anybody who has [minor league] options is not a lock for anything,” Cashman said when asked by The Post if the 25-year-old was a roster-spot lock. “Any player with options has to re-earn everything. You earn more or you earn less — New York or Scranton [Triple-A]. I fully expect Joba to be in our bullpen. If not, he would have worked his way out of it.”I'm hesitant to label this as anything other than Cashman wordsmithing his way around a touchy subject. Whether this is a sign of disenchantment, a motivational ploy, a precursor to stretching Chamberlain back into a starting role, or nothing at all, it does seem to fit well within the chronicles of Chamberlain's fall from grace - particularly when taken hand-in-hand with reports that he headed into Spring Training overweight.
Here's hoping that some semblance of the Joba Chamberlain we all fell in love with is around come April, as I don't think this current incarnation has much value.