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Brian Fuentes

Brian Fuentes Retires

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Left-handed reliever Brian Fuentes has retired from baseball, reports Sean Lynch of The Merced Sun-Star. He said he feels fine physically, but the time away from his family was too much.

"Ultimately, I was just having trouble with the time away from my family," said Fuentes. "I've been playing baseball for all of their lives, but I'd never been so far away as when I was in St. Louis … I think at one point I went like two months without seeing them. Coming home and being able to put them to bed at night made me realize what I was missing."

Fuentes, 37, pitched to a 7.20 ERA with 7.2 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9 in 30 innings for the Athletics and Cardinals this year. He had his most success as a closer with the Rockies several years ago, pitching to a 3.04 ERA with 111 saves with Colorado from 2005-2008. He helped the Rockies to the 2007 World Series and led the league with 48 saves while with the Angels in 2009.

Baseball-Reference.com says Fuentes earned just shy of $39MM during his big league career. Despite his poor year, a team surely would have given him a chance next season given his left-handedness and track record.

Cardinals Place Brian Fuentes On Restricted List

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4:34pm: Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said he was told not to expect Fuentes to rejoin the team this season, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter).

1:54pm: The Cardinals have placed left-handed reliever Brian Fuentes on the restricted list after he asked to be excused for personal reasons, according to Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com (via Twitter).

Fuentes, 37, signed a minor league deal with the Redbirds exactly a month ago after being released by the Athletics. The 12-year veteran has struggled in 2012, posting a 7.20 ERA and 1.70 WHIP in 30 innings with Oakland and St. Louis. He owns a 3.62 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 204 saves in 613 1/3 career innings.

Player on the restricted list do not count against their team's 25- or 40-man rosters. They also do not accrue Major League service time and are sometimes not paid.

Cardinals Sign Brian Fuentes

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The Cardinals have signed Brian Fuentes to a minor league contract, the team announced (on Twitter). The Beverly Hills Sports Council client was released by the Athletics earlier this week.

In 25 innings for the Oakland this year Fuentes posted a 6.84 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9. The 36-year-old left-hander is in the second year of a two-year, $10.5MM contract he signed following the 2010 season. If he's called up to St. Louis, the Cardinals will only owe him the pro-rated portion of the league minimum.

Cardinals, Fuentes Close To Deal

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Left-handed reliever Brian Fuentes is likely to join the Cardinals, sources told Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.  The veteran had interest from six teams following his release from the A's, including the Cards who considered trading for him after he was designated for assignment.

Earlier tonight, Cardinals GM John Mozeliak confirmed that the club reached out to Fuentes' agents at the Beverly Hills Sports Council, writes Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com.  Heyman notes that the pairing makes sense as Fuentes hoped to join a winning team once he hit the open market. 

Fuentes, 36, struggled in 25 innings for the A's this year, posting a 6.84 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9.  For his career, Fuentes owns a 3.58 ERA with 9.4 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9.

Brian Fuentes Drawing Interest

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Brian Fuentes cleared release waivers and six teams are showing interest in him, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). The Athletics released Fuentes earlier this week, so the left-hander can now sign with another team for a pro-rated portion of the MLB minimum salary.

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 Beverly Hills Sports Council client is in the second year of a two-year, $10.5MM contract he signed following the 2010 season.

The Cardinals showed interest in Fuentes earlier this month, but the Dodgers and Athletics are not interested. For an expanded look at the market for left-handed relief, click here.

AL West Notes: Rangers, Fuentes, Napoli, Vargas

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Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (video link) caught up with Josh Hamilton in Kansas City and asked him which team he'll be representing this time next year at Citi Field.  "Hopefully an American League team, and hopefully back with the Rangers, that'd be nice," said the outfielder.  Here's more out of the American League West..

  • The Angels‬ will look to improve their bullpen this month but they have no interest in bringing back struggling left-hander Brian Fuentes, tweets Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com.  Fuentes was released by the A's earlier today.
  • Mike Napoli, who is in his contract year with the Rangers, says that he prefers to catch, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  “I’d rather catch than play first base,” he said. "Sometimes, at first base, I feel a little lost. I just want to make the routine play. Knock it down and flip it to the pitcher — that’s basically my mindset," Napoli explained.
  • Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times (via Twitter) is a bit suspicious that the Mariners won't be starting Jason Vargas this weekend during their homestand and are instead pushing him to Monday in Kansas City.  Baker theorizes that this could be to show that the left-hander can pitch on the road for interested teams.  Ben Nicholson-Smith recently examined Vargas as a trade candidate.

Dodgers Seeking Lefty Reliever; No Interest In Fuentes

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The Dodgers are looking to add a left-handed reliever but have no interest in Brian Fuentes, reports Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times (on Twitter). The Athletics released Fuentes earlier today.

Scott Elbert has been the lone southpaw in the Los Angeles bullpen this year, but lefties have tagged him for a .286/.349/.429 batting line in 63 plate appearances. Any team that signs Fuentes will only owe him the pro-rated portion of the league minimum for the remainder of the season.

Athletics Release Brian Fuentes

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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.

Cardinals Interested In Brian Fuentes

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The Cardinals are interested in trading for Athletics left-hander Brian Fuentes, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). Oakland designated the reliever for assignment on Tuesday after he posted a 6.84 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in 26 appearances.

The Cardinals currently have two left-handers in their bullpen but could benefit from adding Fuentes to the mix as Marc Rzepczynski (5.52 ERA) has struggled and Barret Browning has only pitched 4.1 innings in his entire Major League career. Fuentes, 37 in August, is in the second year of a two-year, $10.5MM contract he signed following the 2010 season. He'll earn $5MM this year and his contract includes a $6.5MM club option for 2013 ($500K buyout).

Athletics Designate Brian Fuentes For Assignment

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The Athletics announced that they designated left-hander Brian Fuentes for assignment. The team reinstated right-hander Bartolo Colon from the disabled list in a related move.

Fuentes, 36, is in the second year of a two-year, $10.5MM contract he signed following the 2010 season. He'll earn $5MM this year and his contract includes a $6.5MM club option for 2013 ($500K buyout). In 25 innings for the Athletics this year he posted a 6.84 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9. A trade involving Fuentes could still occur within the next ten days.

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