MILWAUKEE -- The Brewers avoided arbitration with first baseman and outfielder Jake Bauers on Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $2.7 million contract while agreeing to push forward in the arbitration process with all six of their other eligible players.

Teams faced a 4 p.m. CT deadline to decide whether to take the procedural step of tendering contracts to those players, committing to the process that guides salaries for those with several seasons of Major League service but who don’t yet qualify for free agency. If a team decides such players will cost too much in arbitration, it can non-tender him, making him a free agent.

In a typical year, the Brewers have players who fall into each category. But this year, after signing Bauers, they tendered contracts to all of their other eligi

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