Athletics To Sign Rajai Davis

The Oakland Athletics have agreed to sign outfielder Rajai Davis on Tuesday, according to media reports.

The sides agreed to a one-year, $6 million pact that can include a potential $450,000 in performance bonuses. 

Davis should hit at the top of the order in Oakland and start at center field, which was perhaps their top need heading into the 2017 season. In fact, Athletics' center fielders posted the worst fWAR in the Majors last year with a -1.4 mark. 

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On a broader scope, the Athletics' outfield as a whole lost depth last season with the trade of Josh Reddick. Now, the addition of Davis sets them up to use a lineup that includes him alongside the likes of Khris Davis and Matt Joyce in the corner spots. 

The 36-year-old Davis will be returning to the Athletics, the team he spent time with from 2008 through 2010. Since, he has spent time with the Blue Jays, Tigers and, most recently, the Indians. Davis, in fact, hit the game-tying home run off Aroldis Chapman in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series. 

Outside of that specific moment, Davis should be a fairly productive player in Oakland next season. Last season, he slashed .249/.306/.388 with 12 home runs and 48 RBI, adding an astounding 43 stolen bases, coupled with solid defense. All in all, Davis was worth 2.0 Wins Above Replacement (FanGraphs). 

Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan was the first to report the Athletics' signing of Davis, and Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported on the performance bonuses. 

--Devan Fink