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Kenley Jansen, Dodgers avoid arbitration with $7.425 million contract

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers avoided salary arbitration with closer Kenley Jansen on Friday, signing the right-hander to a one-year contract. The deal is worth $7.425 million, per Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times.

The club avoided arbitration with all of its remaining players, signing Chris Heisey, Juan Nicasio and Justin Turner as well.

The deal represents a 72.7-percent raise for Jansen over his 2014 salary of $4.3 million, earned his first time through the salary arbitration process. Jansen has four years, 73 days of service time, with two seasons remaining before qualifying for free agency.

The closer was at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday, working out and getting ready for the season. He said he was concentrating on baseball, and leaving the contract negotiations to his agent, Adam Katz.

"I think I'll leave that in Adam's hands now. That's why you get a good agent. I'm just trying to get myself focused," Jansen said. "I just love to play. The money's always going to be there, so I'd rather not focus on that so much."

Jansen, 27, put up a 2.76 ERA ERA in 68 games for the Dodgers in 2014, setting a new career high with 44 games, tied for the fourth-most saves in a season in Dodgers franchise history. Jansen struck out 101 and walked 19 in 65⅓ innings, his second straight season with triple-digit strikeouts.

His 407 strikeouts from 2011-2014 is the most in a four-year period by any Dodgers reliever in history.

With two years remaining until he is eligible for free agency, Jansen was aksed if negotiations were underway for a multi-year contract.

"At this point I don't know. I'm a little bit aware of what's going on, but I try to stay away from it," Jansen said. "I try to focus on one thing, getting better every day and getting ready for the season."

I guessed an $8 million salary for Jansen in 2015, while MLB Trade Rumors projected the closer to make $8.2 million. Here are the figures for all six Dodgers who were eligible for salary arbitration.

Player Pos Svc Time TBLA projection MLBTR projection 2015 salary
Kenley Jansen RHP 4.073 $8,000,000 $8,200,000 $7,425,000
A.J. Ellis C 4.151 $3,400,000 $3,800,000 $4,250,000
Darwin Barney IF 4.053 $2,500,000 $2,600,000 $2,525,000
Justin Turner IF 4.045 $2,600,000 $2,200,000 $2,500,000
Juan Nicasio RHP 3.084 $2,250,000 $2,400,000 $2,300,000
Chris Heisey OF 4.157 $2,350,000 $2,200,000 $2,160,000

The Dodgers haven't had an arbitration hearing since 2007, with Joe Beimel.

The team has $215.35 million committed to 24 players in 2015 (including Erisbel Arruebarrena, who is now off the 40-man roster), plus another $43.5 million in dead money, paid to players no longer on the team.