The word out of Los Angeles recently was that Tony Gwynn Jr. was a possible non-tender candidate, but so much for that thought. The Dodgers signed the speedy outfielder to a new two-year, $2 million deal on Monday.
The contract covers Gwynn’s two remaining years of arbitration eligibility. The 29-year-old hit .256/.308/.353 with two homers, 22 RBI and 22 steals in 312 at-bats for the Dodgers last season.
Obviously, the money isn’t very significant here. Still, Gwynn isn’t a great use of a roster spot for a team with an outstanding and extremely durable center fielder. Pretty much all of Gwynn’s playing time came in left field last season, and with a career .247/.319/.324 line, he’s just not enough of a threat offensively to be an asset there.
