Plouffe among four Twins players to avoid arbitration

Four out of six isn't bad.

The Twins announced one-year contracts with four of their six arbitration-eligible players Friday, with lefthander Brian Duensing and outfielder Jordan Schafer remaining unsigned. The pair could still sign with the club and avoid going to arbitration hearings, which are scheduled to take place Feb. 1-21 in Tampa, Fla.

"It's good to get those behind us and move forward," assistant General Manager Rob Antony said. "It would have been nice to go 6-for-6, but it doesn't always happens. Sometimes you are in a different area than the player, so we didn't go 6-for-6."

Third baseman Trevor Plouffe signed a one-year deal worth $4.8 million, up from the $2.35 million he made last season. Plouffe, 28, batted .258 last season with 14 home runs and a team-high 80 RBI.

Lefthander Tommy Milone, 27, signed for $2.775 million, up from the $510,000 he made last season. Milone went 6-4 with a 4.19 ERA between Oakland and the Twins last season — but he was 0-1 with a 7.06 ERA in six outings with the Twins, including five starts. His season was shortened by a stint in the minors and an injury.

Righthander Casey Fien signed for $1.375 million, a raise from the $530,000 he earned last season. Fien, 31, was 5-6 with a 3.98 ERA in 73 games, primarily as a setup man.

Infielder Eduardo Nunez signed for $1.025 million, up from $577,000 last season. Nunez, 27, batted .250 in 72 games.

Schafer, who was claimed off waivers from Atlanta in August, filed for $1.7 million; the Twins have filed for $1.4 million. Schafer batted .285 with 15 stolen bases in 41 games with the Twins. He batted .238 with 30 steals between the Twins and Braves last season.

In many cases, teams and players agree to settle at the midpoint of their offers, which would be $2.75 million for Duensing and $1.55 million for Schafer. Sometimes one side will fight to get past the midpoint.

Antony, who has taken over salary-arbitration duties in recent years, has not given up on getting Duensing and Schafer signed before their arbitration cases are heard. He has not talked about a multiyear deal with either player.