Athletics To Sign Santiago Casilla To Two-Year Deal

The Oakland Athletics agreed to sign right-handed relief pitcher Santiago Casilla on Wednesday, according to media reports. 

The sides reached agreement on a two-year, $11 million contract with $3 million in incentives that would push the contract to a $14 million guarantee if met. He can earn $1.5 million in each season based on the number of games he finishes. 

Casilla will add depth to the Athletics' bullpen that has not seen a lot of additions this offseason. Oakland, however, had been in the market for a reliever for some time. 

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The 36-year-old Casilla returns to the team he began his career with, signing with the Athletics as an amateur free agent in 2000 and breaking into the Majors with them in 2004. From 2010 on, though, he has been across the Bay Bridge in San Francisco, collecting three World Series rings in the process. 

Despite his age, Casilla was still an effective reliever last year, posting a 3.57 ERA and a 65-19 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 58 innings in 62 appearances. He was worth 0.3 fWAR. 

In 2016, Casilla was still able to maintain good fastball velocity, averaging 93.5 mph on the heater, not far off from what he has been averaging since 2011. He still has the stuff to be a good reliever, and he was paid as such today. 

The Athletics' bullpen was among the better bullpens in the Majors in 2016, posting a 4.5 fWAR, ranking 11th. Their 4.01 ERA, though, ranked more in the middle of the pack. In addition to Casilla, the Athletics will have Ryan Dull, Sean Doolittle and John Axford serving between the starting pitcher and closer Ryan Madson. 

FanRag Sports' Robert Murray was the first to report that the Athletics and Casilla were close to a deal. MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez reported the details of the contract, and Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle added incentives details. 

--Devan Fink