Third baseman Trevor Plouffe has become the first of the three arbitration-eligible Twins to sign a contract for 2014, agreeing to a one-year salary of $2.35 million, the team announced Friday.
That's more than four times his 2013 salary of $520,000, after a season in which the 27-year-old former first-round pick batted .254 in 129 games, with 14 home runs and a .309 on-base percentage.
Plouffe's signature leaves relief pitchers Brian Duensing and Anthony Swarzak the only remaining players awaiting arbitration to determine their salaries for the coming season, though the Twins haven't actually needed a hearing before an arbitrator since 2006, when they lost to pitcher Kyle Lohse. In general, players can file for arbitration after three seasons in the major leagues.
