Undone by leg and back problems this year, Jason Kubel was designated for assignment by the Diamondbacks on Tuesday, just five days prior to the roster expansion.
Kubel was finishing up a two-year, $16 million contract with Arizona. He fulfilled his part of the bargain in year one, hitting .253/.328/.506 with 30 homers and 90 RBI in 506 at-bats. However, he had slipped all of the way to .220/.288/.324 with five homers and 32 RBI in 241 at-bats this year.
Because of his physical problems, Kubel had started just two games in three weeks. He was pinch-hitting a lot, but not doing a particularly good job of it. If the Diamondbacks are willing to cover his $1 million buyout for next year, they might be able to flip him to an AL team that could use him as a part-time DH. Cleveland and Texas are a couple of obvious possibilities there.
