Phillies tender Kevin Frandsen a new contract

The Philadelphia Phillies have avoided arbitration with veteran third baseman Kevin Frandsen, signing him to a deal worth at least $850k for next season, reports Jerry Crasnick of ESPN:

Kevin Frandsen deal with #phillies: Base salary of $850k with incentives that could bring overall payout to $1.2 million.

— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) November 9, 2012

Frandsen, 30, had not appeared in the big leagues since 2010 before manning third base for the Phillies down the stretch this past season. Originally slated as a fill-in for the injured Placido Polanco, Frandsen hit very well and remained at the hot corner even when Polanco returned. In fifty-five games on the year, Frandsen hit .338/.383/.451 with fifteen extra-base hits.

The first-year arbitration-eligible player is not a likely long-term solution at third for the Phillies, but he could end up splitting time there with Freddy Galvis or Chase Utley next season if Philadelphia cannot find a more suitable solution this winter. Frandsen is a career .267/.322/.364 hitter in parts of six big-league seasons and has also spent time at shortstop and second base.