Athletics DFA Journeyman Pitcher, Ending Third Stint with Oakland

Oakland Athletics DFA Aaron Brooks

The 34-year-old Brooks signed a minor league contract with the Athletics during the offseason. It is his second stint with the team (or third, depending on how you look at it), having also pitched for Oakland in 2015 and 2018-19.  Brooks was recently added to the major league roster, and he came into the game on June 23rd to help mend the mess that pitcher Luis Medina started. Medina was the starter that day, but was taken out after only recording nine outs. Brooks was brought into the game, pitched five innings, and threw 65 pitches. This saved the rest of the A’s bullpen some work.

But unfortunately, Brooks’ hard work was a paradoxical sign of him no longer being on the roster. This is because he wouldn’t be available to pitch for at least a few days. With all the injuries occurring league-wide this season, the last thing that should be done is to overwork pitchers.

Why Brooks Was Let Go

Furthermore, this left the A’s with no choice but to DFA Brooks, permitting them to get a more rejuvenated pitcher in the bullpen. The Athletics will be allotted one week to trade Brooks; otherwise, he will go through waivers. Brooks has already lost his roster spot one time, which happened before this month. That time, he cleared waivers and was demoted to Triple-A Las Vegas. It is very much possible that this could occur again. In his last five starts in the majors, he has sported a 5.06 ERA. For the Las Vegas Aviators, he recorded a 4.30 ERA in 10 starts. But Brooks was showing improved velocity with his pitches. Brooks also averaged 93.7 mph on his four-seam fastball. His season average on the pitch is 91.7 mph.

Brooks has additionally been known to have a filthy slider and changeup, but this dates back to 2020. His recent struggles left the A’s little wiggle room to keep him on the roster, similar to the Blue Jays parting ways with Cavan Biggio recently. In Brooks’ last seven games, he has not recorded a win, and his unfavorable ERA of 5.06 led the A’s to call up a pitcher with a fresher arm in the bullpen. Brooks was recalled to the majors in May when starter Ken Waldichuk was placed on the IL for elbow surgery.