The Athletics announced that they have designated right-hander Arnold Leon for assignment in order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for right-hander Henderson Alvarez, whose one-year deal with Oakland has now been announced by the team.
The 27-year-old made his Major League debut with the A’s in 2015 and played a fairly significant role in the bullpen, soaking up 26 1/3 innings and working to a 4.39 ERA. Leon averaged 6.4 K/9 against 3.1 BB/9 to go along with a 45.9 percent ground-ball rate and an average fastball velocity of 91.7 mph. Leon has a significantly better track record at the Triple-A level, where he has a 2.56 ERA with 9.2 K/9 against 4.2 BB/9 in parts of three seasons, totaling 59 2/3 innings. Leon has spent his entire career in the Athletics organization, having signed with the club as an amateur free agent out of Mexico back in 2008.
Nooooo!