FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Coming off a pair of strong seasons, Twins second baseman Brian Dozier signed a four-year, $20 million contract extension on Tuesday.Dozier, who already was under contract for 2015, will earn $2 million this year. He then will earn $3 million in '16, $6 million in '17 and $9 million in '18. The deal, which does not include options, buys out Dozier's three scheduled arbitration years, but he still is on track to reach free agency after the '18 season.
Dozier, who turns 28 in May, has been one of the most productive second basemen in the Majors over the past two seasons. 
His 8.9 wins above replacement over that span put him fifth among all players at his position, according to Baseball-Reference.com.An eighth-round pick by the Twins in the 2009 Draft, Dozier debuted in 2012 but managed only a .603 OPS over 84 games. He broke out the following year, hitting .244/.312/.414 with 18 home runs, 66 RBIs and 14 stolen bases.Dozier continued to improve last year, posting a .242/.345/.416 line with 23 homers, 71 RBIs, 21 steals and 112 runs. He joined Kirby Puckett (1986) and Corey Koskie (2001) as the only Twins to hit at least 20 homers, score at least 100 runs and steal at least 20 bases in a season. He also drew 38 more walks than he did in 2013, and his defense continued to rate well in most advanced metrics.Dozier has swung a hot bat this spring, entering Tuesday 12-for-26 (.462) with four doubles and two homers in Grapefruit League play.
Andrew Simon/ MLB.com
His 8.9 wins above replacement over that span put him fifth among all players at his position, according to Baseball-Reference.com.An eighth-round pick by the Twins in the 2009 Draft, Dozier debuted in 2012 but managed only a .603 OPS over 84 games. He broke out the following year, hitting .244/.312/.414 with 18 home runs, 66 RBIs and 14 stolen bases.Dozier continued to improve last year, posting a .242/.345/.416 line with 23 homers, 71 RBIs, 21 steals and 112 runs. He joined Kirby Puckett (1986) and Corey Koskie (2001) as the only Twins to hit at least 20 homers, score at least 100 runs and steal at least 20 bases in a season. He also drew 38 more walks than he did in 2013, and his defense continued to rate well in most advanced metrics.Dozier has swung a hot bat this spring, entering Tuesday 12-for-26 (.462) with four doubles and two homers in Grapefruit League play.
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