Andrew Chafin Signing with the Arizona Diamondbacks

If you’d hoped for a reunion with lefty Andrew Chafin even after the Chicago Cubs signed righty Michael Fulmer yesterday, you can put those hopes to bed.

Chafin is going back to where his career started:

Chafin, 32, had opted out of his deal with the Detroit Tigers with the expectation that he could land a better contract, probably even a multi-year deal. But the market for lefty relievers collapsed, and this was the best he could do.

In that way, one thing to notice here is the huge bargain on the signing. Chafin, the top remaining lefty on the market by almost any measure, gets just the one year on his deal, and a price tag far lower than I’m sure he was hoping for. That Matt Strahm deal (two years and $15 million) really did muck up the market. Bummer for Chafin, and what a steal for the Diamondbacks, with whom Chafin spent the first six and a half years of his career.

Now we see if the rest of the lefty market collapses so much that the Cubs can sneak a bargain on one of Matt Moore, Zack Britton, Will Smith, or Brad Hand. I’m not expecting it, mind you, but even after adding Fulmer, you could see the Cubs saying what the heck and adding a bargain lefty. If Chafin got only $6.5 million …