Fuentes faces music, won't retire

OAKLAND -- It's not often a player gets told he has been designated for assignment, then sits at his already cleared out clubhouse stall, and waits -- just so he can talk to the media. That's what Brian Fuentes did. He knew his performance was slipping, he knew he wasn't getting used as much as he would like, and he understood the situation and faced the music head on.
NEWS: A's DFA Fuentes
"It's not really that much of a surprise," Fuentes said. "It's just one of those things where it wasn't a big fit for me right now."The veteran left-handed reliever had only pitched twice in the team's last fifteen games. He was 0-2 with a 19.50 ERA over his past seven appearances. Recently he wasn't cutting it on the mound. Instead of placing the blame elsewhere, he owned the issue. "They can't wait for me forever," he said. "I think it's best for everyone involved. It gives me a chance to go somewhere and pitch, and hopefully someone will find me valuable enough to pick up in free agency, or trade, or whatever it may be." Fuentes, 36, was signed to a two-year contract worth 10.5M prior to the 2011 season. The team had a 6.5M club option for 2013 with a 500,000 buyout. He was 2-2 in 2012 with a 6.84 ERA. He had three blown saves. "Whether it be set up, or mop up, it seemed like it never worked out," he said. "There wasn't an opportunity for me to pitch. I feel that it did affect me, but it is something I should have overcome."Fuentes actually pitched pretty well early in the season, he even seized the team's closer role. On May 27, he had a 2.84 ERA and four saves. One of those saves was the 200th of his career, a special moment for he and the team that ended with a clubhouse beer shower.
REWIND: Fuentes reaches 200-save milestone
Then he fell off statistically, After May 27th, in just six innings pitched he allowed 13 earned runs, four home runs, and walked seven batters, earning just three strikeouts. He worked through pain in his right ankle, but said that wasn't the reason for his struggles."I don't think anything was seriously mechanically wrong," he said. "Just not executing pitches, falling behind in counts, the typical reasons why guys don't pitch well. The lack of work is part of that, but when I did have opportunities to pitch, even when I did pitch two or three times a week I didn't pitch well." Fuentes' struggles made it hard for the A's to put him in games. The lack of appearances only increased his struggles. It was a situation that started to feed off of itself. "Based on the games we were playing I wasn't able to get him in there and then the performance suffers too," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "So it was tough, it was tough." "It is unfortunate, it wasn't for lack of preparation," Fuentes said. "I was pitching inconsistently, it puts Bob and management in a tough situation." While he didn't show it on the field as of late, Fuentes was an integral part of the A's young bullpen. After Fuentes met with the media a lot of players visited with him in the clubhouse. A's closer Ryan Cook even offered a public showing of support for Fuentes on Twitter. I want to thank Brian Fuentes for the impact he has had on me not only as a player but as man... All of which he may not even be aware of... Ryan Cook (@ryancook_48) July 3, 2012While it is tough to part ways with his teammates, Fuentes admitted that baseball is a business and most rosters are like a revolving door. He just hopes he made an impression on the guys he had a chance to play with in Oakland. "I'm not saying my career is over, but at the end of the day you look back at how many guys you effect," Fuentes said. "I am happy a lot of them came up and said thank you, and that made me feel better than anything." Fuentes has 10 days to clear waivers. If he doesn't get claimed by another team the A's can assign him to a minor league affiliate or outright release him and eat his remaining salary. At that point, another team could pick him up without taking on the remainder of his 5M contract.Now all he can do is wait and see what his future holds. He says he will do that at home, where he will keep throwing and working out. He could be eventually be picked up based on his dexterity. Most teams don't have the left-handed relief depth that the A's have. They currently hold an excess of lefties, with standout Sean Doolittle, Jerry Blevins, Jordan Norberto and even Pedro Figueroa in Triple-A. Based on that fact, Fuentes knows the A's will be fine without him. "They are all big boys and I think they will be able to handle themselves."