The Pirates and first baseman Adam LaRoche avoided arbitration yesterday by agreeing to a one-year contract with a base salary of $5 million.

The sides plan to continue discussing a long-term extension, one that could cover as long as four years.

The team recently approached LaRoche to gauge his interest in that regard, and he said he was amenable. But all concerned wished to have the one-year contract completed in advance of Major League Baseball's Friday deadline for exchanging arbitration figures.

LaRoche, 28, made $3.2 million in base pay last season while batting .272 with 21 home runs and 88 RBIs. He can become a free agent after the 2009 season.

The Pirates still have four unsigned arbitration-eligible players -- second baseman Freddy Sanchez, third baseman Jose Bautista, outfielder Xavier Nady and reliever John Grabow -- and all are believed to be negotiating one-year deals.

NOTES -- The Pirates have signed pitcher Mike Burns and outfielder Jorge Cortes to minor-league contracts. Burns, 29, appeared in 45 major-league games in 2005-06, all in relief, and posted a 5.88 ERA. Last season, he was 4-9 with a 4.66 ERA in 35 appearances, including 15 starts, for Boston's Class AAA affiliate in Pawtucket. Cortes, 27, signed his first contract with the Pirates in 1997 and stayed in the system until 2005. He has a .285 career average in the minors but has played in only eight games above Class AA.