A.J. Ellis, Dodgers avoid salary arbitration with $4.25 million deal

LOS ANGELES -- Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis avoided salary arbitration, signing a one-year contract for 2015 on Tuesday, worth $4.25 million, per Jon Heyman of CBS Sports and confirmed by Ken Gurnick of MLB.com.

Tuesday is the day for players to file for arbitration. The Dodgers also have Kenley Jansen, Justin Turner, Juan Nicasio and Chris Heisey eligible for salary arbitration this winter.

Ellis hit just .191/.323/.254 with three home runs and nine doubles in 93 games in 2014, his third as the Dodgers' regular catcher. It was a down season for Ellis, also slowed by a pair of injuries. He missed 34 games after surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee in April, then missed 18 games in May and June after spraining his right ankle accidentally stepping on Drew Butera's catcher mask while celebrating Josh Beckett's no-hitter in Philadelphia.

Ellis, who turns 34 in April and has four years, 151 days of major league service time, made $3.55 million in 2014, his second season of eligibility of salary arbitration. Ellis was a "Super Two" after the 2012 season, as one of the top 17 percent in major league service time among players with at least two years but not yet three years of service time. That earned an extra year of salary arbitration for Ellis, who will qualify for free agency after the 2016 season.

I guessed an $3.4 million salary for Ellis in 2015, while MLB Trade Rumors projected the catcher to make $3.8 million.