Familia, 35, was last seen in the majors giving up 12 runs in 12 2/3 innings for the A’s over the first five weeks of the 2023 season. He pitched briefly in Mexico last year and allowed four runs in 8 1/3 innings while pitching in the Dominican Winter League.

Familia, Oakland's leader with two saves this year, was designated for assignment Thursday after giving up 12 runs -- nine earned -- and walking 13 in 12 2/3 innings. He'll likely sign a minor league deal elsewhere.

Familia has converted a couple of saves for the A's, but that says more about the state of the team's bullpen than anything else. The 33-year-old posted a miserable 6.39 ERA and 2.05 WHIP in 14 appearances and might be running out of chances in the majors. 

The A's held Familia back for the ninth after Domingo Acevedo, Richard Lovelady and Zach Jackson all pitched scoreless innings for holds. In truth, all of those guys seem like better bets than Familia right now. Familia's velocity is down more than two mph from two years ago, and he's walked 12 batters in 12 1/3 innings this year. He probably doesn't even belong in the majors, much less in the closer's role. If one is desperate enough to be using an A's reliever at this point, Jackson is probably the way to go.