Veteran reliever Luis Ayala was granted his release by the Washington Nationals in hopes of catching on with another team this season.
After the right-hander signed a minor-league contract with the Nationals in early February, his performance on the mound was up and down during his spring-training outings this month. A long shot to land the final spot in the Nationals’ bullpen, Ayala asked the team to let him go.
“I don’t want to go to triple-A,” he said, according to The Washington Post. “I’m going to go home and keep training, see what happens this week, see if I have a chance with another team. I appreciate the opportunity, but that’s baseball. These things happen.”
The 36-year-old Ayala was a member of the original Nationals team in 2005. His career stops include the Montreal Expos, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, Marlins, New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles and Atlanta Braves.
Last season, Ayala posted a 2-1 record with a 3.27 ERA in 39 outings spanning 31 innings with the Orioles and Braves.