San Francisco Giants, Santiago Casilla agree to extension

Brian Wilson might be out of the Giants' bullpen picture, but Santiago Casilla will be a mainstay for the world champs. On Monday, San Francisco reportedly agreed to a three-year, $15 million contract extension with the right-hander. The pact includes a vesting option for a fourth season that could turn into a club option.

Though Casilla was not as dominant in 2012 as he had been in 2010 and 2011, the change in his effectiveness could be due to his workload and frequent usage. The 32-year-old pitched in 73 games and worked 63⅓ innings; in 2011, Casilla 51⅔ innings out of the pen in 49 games, and in 2010, he tossed 55⅓ innings over 52 appearances.

Though Casilla held steady in striking out 7.8 batters per nine innings, he allowed an additional two hits per nine (5.7 H/9 in 2011, 7.8 H/9 in 2012) and saw his homer rate jump from 0.2 HR/9 to 1.1 HR/9.

Casilla was eligible for arbitration for the third time. His new contract will cover his final year of arbitration and at least two free-agent seasons.