Andre Ethier avoids arbitration, signs for $3.1 million

That's a hair south of the midpoint -- a $100,000 hair, that is -- but he can get to the midpoint if he maxes out on his incentives, which are $25,000 each for 596 and 625 plate appearances and $50,000 for 650 PAs. If the 596 seems like a weird number, that's exactly how many PAs he had in 2008. What apparently opened the door for this was the fact two comparable players, St. Louis' Ryan Ludwick and Pittsburgh's Nate McLouth, settled within the past 24 hours. Ludwick got $3.7 million, and McLouth actually signed a three-year deal that has an average annual value of $4.3 million. It wouldn't be accurate to say Ethier's signing came at the last second. The sides actually postponed the hearing while they got a deal done in a hallway outside the hearing room. Ned Colletti estimates the agreement was reached between 10 and 10:15 this morning. The hearing had been scheduled for 9:30.