Released on Will Carroll's Twitter.
So long Jason. We had so many good years with you, and you were my favorite player in the early 2000's. I wish this year had been different, and I wish you had been with us for the last few years too.
OAKLAND, Calif. – The Oakland Athletics have released Jason Giambi, the five-time American League All-Star and 2000 AL Most Valuable Player who batted .193 with 11 home runs and 40 RBI in 83 games this season before being placed on the Disabled List July 20.
Giambi, who has spent eight seasons (1995-2001, 2009) with the A’s and seven years (2002-08) with the New York Yankees, is a .282 career hitter with 407 home runs, 1,319 RBI and 1,255 walks during his 15-year major league career. He currently ranks tied for 43rd with Duke Snider on the all-time major league home run list and tied for 45th (with Rusty Staub) in walks. On the Athletics’ franchise career lists, Giambi ranks eighth in home runs (198) and 13th in RBI (715), while he ranks among the Oakland A’s all-time leaders in batting average (.300, 1st), slugging percentage (.531, 2nd), on-base percentage (.406, 2nd), doubles (241, 3rd), home runs (5th), walks (636, 5th), extra base hits (446, 6th), RBI (6th), total bases (1,949, 7th), runs (640, 8th) and hits (1,100, 9th). He also has hit 115 home runs in the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, which ties him for fourth place on the all-time list.
However, Giambi was placed on the 15-day DL July 20 with a strained right quad. At the time he went on the DL, he had the lowest batting average in the majors and fourth lowest slugging percentage in the American League (.364).
Giambi was originally drafted by the A’s in the second round of the June, 1992 draft, and made his ML debut with Oakland in 1995. He was named American League MVP in 2000 after batting .333 with career highs in home runs (43), RBI (137) and walks (137), and then finished second in MVP balloting in 2001 when he set an Oakland record with a career high .342 batting average, while adding 38 home runs and 120 RBI.
