Sean Nolin was designated for assignment by the A's on Friday.

Nolin was designated for assignment by the A's on Friday.

Analysis:

Nolin was one of the pieces the A's received in the Josh Donaldson trade and was thought to have a shot at their 2016 rotation. The A's needed to clear a spot on the 40-man roster with the acquisition of Khris Davis, however, and Nolin was the one they chose to designate. The left-hander struggled with a groin injury for much of 2015 and his velocity was noticeably down when he was able to return late in the year. It seems likely that Nolin will garner some interest from other teams around the league.