Scott Van Slyke avoids arbitration with reported $1.225 million deal for 2016

LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers avoided salary arbitration with outfielder and first baseman Scott Van Slyke on Thursday, agreeing to terms on a one-year deal for 2016, the team announced. Van Slyke's contract is worth $1.225 million per Jon Heyman.

Van Slyke, now 29, hit .239/.317/.383 with six home runs and 14 doubles in 96 games, starting 31 games in left field, 13 games in right field, eight games at first base and once at designated hitter. He was limited by injuries in 2015, spending time on the disabled list with a back injury, then in September missed time with a cyst on his hand and right wrist inflammation.

Despite playing just 426 defensive innings in the outfield in 2015, Van Slyke led the Dodgers with eight outfield assists.

In parts of four seasons with the Dodgers, totaling 708 plate appearances, the right-handed slugger has hit .253/.337/.442 with 26 home runs, 37 doubles, 85 RBI and 73 walks. He has hit .265/.370/.488 with 16 home runs against left-handed pitchers in his career, including .258/.386/.398 in 2015.

With two years, 151 days of service time, Van Slyke qualified for salary arbitration as a "Super Two" player, among the top 22 percent of players with at least two but not yet three years of service time. I guessed a 2016 salary of $1.3 million for Van Slyke, while MLB Trade Rumors projected $1.2 million.

The Dodgers still have four players remaining who filed for salary arbitration — Kenley Jansen, Justin Turner, Yasmani Grandal and Luis Avilan. Friday is the deadline for players and clubs to exchange salaries