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Athletics Release Simon Castro

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The Athletics have released right-hander Simon Castro from their Triple-A club, per the Pacific Coast League’s transactions page. The 30-year-old turned in a solid year with the Oakland organization in 2017 but had gotten off to a rough start in 2018.

Originally signed by the Padres as an 18-year-old, Castro was flipped to the White Sox as the centerpiece in 2011’s Carlos Quentin trade. At the time, he ranked among the game’s top 100 prospects, but ultimately he didn’t establish himself with either organization. After being cut loose by the Sox, he spent two years with the Rockies before landing with the A’s on a minor league deal prior to the 2017 season.

Castro logged a career-high 38 innings with the A’s in the Majors last year, pitching to a 4.38 ERA with 8.5 K/9, 3.4 BB/9 and a 32.7 percent ground-ball rate in that time. He posted gaudy strikeout totals with Oakland’s top affiliate in Nashville as well, continuing a recent trend at the Triple-A level. While Castro has limited big league experience, his past three Triple-A campaigns (2015-17) saw him work 148 1/3 innings of 3.52 ERA ball with 11.8 K/9, 3.2 BB/9 and 0.85 HR/9.

This season, he’s whiffed 12 hitters in 8 1/3 innings but also issued six walks and yielded seven earned runs. Castro has a fairly lengthy track record of missing bats in the upper minors and only turned 30 last month, so he’s likely to catch on as a depth piece elsewhere.

A’s Sign Simon Castro, Steve Lombardozzi, Slade Heathcott To Minor League Deals

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The A’s have announced a series of non-roster invites to Major League Spring Training today (Twitter link via Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle). Among the notable names are right-hander Simon Castro, who logged 37 innings with the A’s last season, as well as veteran utility infielder Steve Lombardozzi, former Cubs lefty Eric Jokisch and former top outfield prospect Slade Heathcott. Castro had previously elected minor league free agency but will return on a new minor league pact.

The 29-year-old Castro pitched to a 4.38 ERA with 8.5 K/9 against 3.4 BB/9 in his 37 frames with the A’s. Castro averaged nearly 94 mph on his fastball, but as an extreme fly-ball pitcher that saw 14 percent of flies against him turn into homers, he also averaged 1.7 long balls per nine innings pitched. The journeyman righty posted a career-best 14.9 K/9 in 38 Triple-A innings this season but averaged five walks per nine, as well. He’s set to turn 30 in April.

[Related: Updated Oakland Athletics depth chart]

Lombardozzi, 29, went hitless in eight plate appearances with the Marlins this past season and hasn’t recorded a hit in the Majors since 2014. But, he’s a career .279/.332/.337 hitter in parts of five Triple-A campaigns and posted numbers that were nearly identical to that career output with Miami’s Triple-A affiliate last season. Lombardozzi has played second base, third base, shortstop and the outfield corners in his career, so he can serve as a versatile depth option capable of stepping into multiple roles for the A’s should injuries arise.

The 28-year-old Jokisch posted a 1.88 ERA with a 10-to-4 K/BB ratio in 14 1/3 innings for the 2014 Cubs. That’s his only MLB experience to date, though, as he’s spent the 2015-17 seasons bouncing between the Double-A and Triple-A levels. Jokisch has a career 4.01 ERA with 6.6 K/9 against 2.6 BB/9 in 422 innings of Triple-A work — most of which has come as a starter. While he spent the bulk of the 2016 season working in relief, 22 of his 29 appearances this past season were starts. In 140 2/3 innings, he notched a 4.09 ERA.

Heathcott, now 27, was the 29th overall pick in the 2009 draft and rated as the game’s No. 63 overall prospect (No. 2 in the Yankees’ system) heading into the 2013 season, according to Baseball America. However, while he demonstrated impressive offensive potential in the lower minors, his bat has stalled in Double-A and Triple-A. Heathcott, who can handle all three outfield spots, hit a combined .267/.350/.435 in 478 plate appearances between the Giants’ Double-A and Triple-A affiliates in 2017.

Simon Castro, Michael Brady, Josh Smith Elect Free Agency

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TODAY: Castro, Brady, and Smith all indeed elected to become free agents, as per Matt Eddy of Baseball America.

NOVEMBER 6: The A’s announced on Monday that right-handers Simon Castro, Michael Brady and Josh Smith have all been assigned outright to Triple-A Nashville after clearing waivers. The moves give Oakland enough space to reinstate outfielder Dustin Fowler and righties Andrew Triggs, Paul Blackburn and Bobby Wahl from the 60-day disabled list.

Castro, 29, totaled 37 innings out of the Oakland bullpen, working to a 4.38 ERA with 8.5 K/9 against 3.4 BB/9. Castro averaged nearly 94 mph on his heater, but as an extreme fly-ball pitcher that saw 14 percent of flies against him turn into homers, he also averaged 1.7 long balls per nine innings pitched. The journeyman righty posted a career-best 14.9 K/9 in 38 Triple-A innings this season but averaged five walks per nine, as well. He’s set to turn 30 next April.

Brady, 30, made his big league debut in ’17 but struggled to a 5.68 ERA in 31 2/3 innings. He averaged just over six punchouts per nine frames but did so with strong control (1.7 BB/9). Like Castro, he’s an extreme fly-ball pitcher that struggled to keep the ball in the yard despite the spacious confines of the O.Co Coliseum. But, also like Castro, he enjoyed an impressive year in Triple-A, tossing 53 1/3 innings with a 3.21 ERA, 8.6 K/9 and 1.0 BB/9.

The 30-year-old Smith turned in 35 MLB innings with an ERA just south of 5.00 but posted a 3.70 ERA with 9.6 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 41 1/3 innings of work at the Triple-A level. He’s yet to find success in the Majors in parts of three seasons with the Reds and A’s but has fared better in Triple-A and should latch on as a depth option in another organization.

All three players outrighted by the A’s will have the option of electing minor league free agency in lieu of the outright assignment and figure to do just that.

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