Gomez signs for $4.3 million

The Brewers and center fielder Carlos Gomez avoided arbitration on Thursday by agreeing to a one-year contract, one day before teams and their arbitration-eligible players were set to formally exchange figures. A baseball source said Gomez would earn $4.3 million.

The Brewers’ remaining eligibles are relievers John Axford and Burke Badenhop, and starter Marco Estrada. If they remain unsigned at noon CT on Friday, they will exchange one-year contract proposals with the team and continue toward an arbitration hearing in February.

With Gomez and his agent, Scott Boras, the Brewers avoided the hearing room in all four years of his eligibility. Gomez initially made the cut as a “Super 2” player in 2010, and continued to the point of earning $1.9875 million last season (including a $25,000 bonus for topping 450 plate appearances), He set career bests in 2012 with a .260 batting average, a .305 on-base percentage, 19 home runs and 37 stolen bases.

Gomez heads into 2013 as the Brewers’ starting center fielder, with left-handed hitting Logan Schafer likely to be the backup. Gomez will be a free agent after the season.

Earlier Thursday, he was named to the Dominican Republic’s provisional roster for the World Baseball Classic.

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