Padres sign Dozier to minor-league contract

The San Diego Padres agreed to a minor-league contract with second baseman Brian Dozier, the club announced Monday.

If he makes the team, Dozier will earn a base salary of $2.2 million, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports. The contract also contains various incentives.

"He's been to the World Series the last two years in a row," Padres manager Jayce Tingler said, according to AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. "He's got a really good track record, a very good resume. He's played on a lot of winning teams, especially the last couple years. We're excited to get around him."

In 135 games with the Washington Nationals last season, Dozier hit .238/.340/.430 with 20 home runs.

An All-Star in 2015, Dozier emerged as one of baseball's top sluggers at the keystone through parts of seven seasons with the Minnesota Twins. From 2013 to 2017, he hit 145 home runs - the most among all second basemen during that stretch and 13th-most overall. He also stole 81 bases during that time, but speed hasn't been a big part of his game in recent seasons.

Entering spring training, Jurickson Profar was penciled in as the Padres' leading candidate to open the season as the team's primary second baseman after Ian Kinsler retired and Luis Urias was traded to Milwaukee.

If Profar struggles, the door may open for Dozier to supplant him on the depth chart.