PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The Philadelphia Phillies have agreed to a $5.1 million, one-year deal with Cesar Hernandez, avoiding arbitration with the second baseman who has led the team in batting average each of the past two seasons.
The Phillies also reached one-year agreements with third baseman Maikel Franco ($2.95 million), reliever Luis Garcia ($1.2 million) and catcher Cameron Rupp ($2.05 million). Philadelphia has no remaining players eligible for arbitration.
Hernandez hit .294 each of the past two years. He’s thrived since moving into the leadoff role midway through 2016.
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Hernandez had a career-best nine homers and a .373 on-base percentage last season.
Franco is coming off a disappointing season, although he did lead the Phillies with 24 homers. His average dipped to .230 with a .281 on-base percentage.
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