The Tampa Bay Devil Rays avoided salary arbitration with third baseman Sean Burroughs, signing him to a one-year contract worth $1.5 million. The deal also includes a club option at $2.25 million for 2007. Burroughs was acquired by the Devil Rays from San Diego in a December 7 trade that sent pitcher Dewon Brazelton to the Padres. The 25-year-old Burroughs had spent his first four major league seasons with the Padres after the team selected him ninth overall in the 1998 draft. For most of those four years, he was the team's everyday starter at third base. Following a solid 2004 season that saw him hit .298, Burroughs struggled last year and split the campaign between San Diego and Triple-A Portland. He hit just .250 with 17 runs batted in and just one home run in 93 big league games. Burroughs is a career .282 hitter with 11 home runs and 133 RBI in 432 major league games.