A's agree to terms with RHP Santiago Casilla on two-year contract

The Oakland A's agreed to terms with right-handed pitcher Santiago Casilla on a two-year contract through the 2018 season, the club announced today. To clear a spot on the 40-man roster, the A's designated outfielder Brett Eibner for assignment. The A's also announced that they agreed to terms with left-handed pitcher Ross Detwiler and outfielder Alejandro De Aza on minor league contracts with an invite to spring training.

Casilla went 2-5 with 31 saves, a 3.57 ERA and .235 opponents batting average in 62 relief appearances with San Francisco last year. He ranked sixth in the National League in saves but had nine blown saves, which tied for the most in the majors. The 36-year-old right-hander struck out a career-high 65 batters in 58.0 innings. He walked just 19 average his average of 2.95 walks per nine innings was the second lowest mark of his career. Casilla allowed just 1-of-18 (5.6%) inherited runners to score and held first batters faced to a .228 batting average and .267 on-base percentage.
Casilla returns to the Oakland organization as he was originally signed by the A's as out of the Dominican Republic on January 31, 2000. He made his Major League debut with Oakland in 2004 and was 6-4 with four saves and a 5.11 ERA in 152 relief appearances from 2004 to 2009. Casilla was released following the 2009 season and spent the next seven seasons with the Giants. He went 32-22 with 123 saves and a 2.42 ERA in 414 games with San Francisco. Casilla saved a career-high 38 games in 2015 and he ranks sixth on the Giants career saves list. The 13-year veteran is 38-26 with 127 saves and a 3.19 ERA in 566 career appearances.

Eibner began the 2016 season with Kansas City and hit .231 in 26 games over two stints with the Royals before he was traded to Oakland for Billy Burns on July 30. He batted .165 in 44 games with the A's and combined for a .193 batting average, six home runs and 22 RBI in 70 games in his Major League debut.

Detwiler was acquired by the A's from Cleveland in a minor league deal July 17 and combined for a 2-4 record and a 6.10 ERA in 16 games, including seven starts. He was also 6-4 with a 4.40 ERA in 16 games, including 15 starts, with Triple-A Columbus and Nashville. De Aza spent the entire 2016 season with the New York Mets and hit .205 with six home runs and 25 RBI in 130 games. He is a .261 career hitter in 810 games in nine Major League seasons with Florida (2007, 09), Chicago-AL (2010-14), Baltimore (2014-15), Boston (2015), San Francisco (2015) and New York-NL (2016).