Athletics release Giambi
Oakland, CA (Sports Network) - The Oakland Athletics have released first baseman Jason Giambi.
The five-time American League All-Star and 2000 AL Most Valuable Player re- signed with Oakland this past winter after a seven-year stint with the New York Yankees, and was hitting just .193 with 11 homers and 40 runs batted in.
Giambi played in 83 games this season before going on the 15-day disabled list on July 20 with a strained right quadriceps. At the time he went on the DL, the 15-year veteran had the lowest batting average in the majors.
The 38-year-old slugger is a career .282 hitter with 407 home runs and 1,319 runs batted in. He is tied for 43rd with Duke Snider on the all-time home runs list.
Giambi was originally selected by Oakland in the second round of the 1992 draft and made his big league debut with the Athletics in 1995. He won the AL MVP with Oakland for a 2000 season that included career bests of 43 homers, 137 runs batted in and a .333 batting average.
After a runner-up finish in the 2001 MVP balloting, Giambi signed with the Yankees and spent seven years with New York. During his time with the Yankees, he was linked to performance-enhancing drugs as part of the BALCO probe in San Francisco.