Over the past weekend, the Detroit Tigers acquired infielder Alexi Casilla from the Tampa Bay Rays, according to Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press. The deal will send a player to be named later to the Rays.
Tampa Bay signed Casilla on February 2, but released him on March 31. Just a few weeks after, Casilla signed with the club on a minor-league deal, knowing he would be stuck as depth for the Rays at the Triple-A Durham Bulls during most of the season.
Casilla slashed .315/.379/.449 with Triple-A Durham this entire season.
If anyone remembers Game 163 from the 2009 season, they will know Casilla. The infielder hit a single off Fernando Rodney in the bottom of the 12th inning to give the Minnesota Twins a 6-5 victory over the Tigers. That game was a tiebreaker for the American League Central title, Detroit went home and the Twins moved on to the playoffs.
Casilla is most known for his seven years in Minnesota, where he slashed .250/.305/.331 with 11 home runs and 147 RBI.
His best season came in 2008 with the Twins, fashioning multiple career high stats. Casilla hit .281 with seven home runs and 50 RBI, drawing 31 walks over 98 games played.
The 30-year-old played in one game during the 2014 season with the Baltimore Orioles. He went 0-for-4 with one strikeout.
Casilla was assigned to the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens right away. Casilla, born in San Cristobal, is 6-for-11 with a double in his first three games with the Mud Hens.
Because the Tigers acquired Casilla, they can now move top prospect Dixon Machado to third base, which could help him to move up to third at the Major League if Nick Castellanos continues to struggle down the road.