The Oakland Athletics have agreed to terms with free-agent pitcher Esteban Loaiza on a three-year contract with a club option for the 2009 season. The 11-year veteran pitched for the Washington Nationals last season, posting a 12-10 record with a 3.77 earned run average in 34 starts. He had 173 strikeouts with 55 walks in 217 innings. For his career, Loaiza is 112-99 with a 4.60 ERA in 334 games. The 112 victories are second-most in MLB history for Mexican-born pitchers. Fernando Valenzuela had 173 wins in his 17-year career. Loaiza, who turns 34 on December 31, started his career with Pittsburgh in 1995 and has also pitched for Texas, Toronto, the Chicago White Sox and the New York Yankees. In 2003 with the White Sox, he won a career-high 21 games and finished second in AL Cy Young balloting.