The Athletics announced that they released reliever Brian Fuentes. They had designated the left-hander for assignment on July 3rd after a disappointing first half.
In 25 innings for the Athletics this year Fuentes posted a 6.84 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9. The 36-year-old is in the second year of a two-year, $10.5MM contract he signed following the 2010 season. He'll earn $5MM this year, but can now be signed by another team for a pro-rated portion of the MLB minimum salary. The Cardinals showed interest in Fuentes after the A's removed him from their roster.
