MLB Player News

The Braves have agreed to an extension with Freddie Freeman, according to CBSSports.com Baseball Insider Jon Heyman. 

It was reported early Tuesday that the two sides were nearing an agreement. Terms of the contract are not known at this time. Freeman was set to go to arbitration with the club in February. Freeman hit .319/.396/.501 in 551 at-bats last year.

The Braves are getting close to a multi-year extension with first baseman Freddie Freeman, according to FoxSports.com.

The team signed Jason Heyward to a two-year extension Tuesday, and are looking to lock up Freeman as well. It's unclear if the extension would cover Freeman's remaining arbitration seasons, like Heyward's deal, or if it would buy out some of his free-agent years. Freeman broke out last season, hitting .319/.396/.501 in 551 at-bats.

Braves general manager Frank Wren clarified the team's file and trial policy following the team handing out a two-year extension to outfielder Jason Heyward. 

Wren explained that the team's file and trial policy does not apply to multi-year contracts. There was some thought that the team abandoned their strategy, which would mean Freddie Freeman and Craig Kimbrel could sign before going to trial. That does not appear to be the case unless Freeman or Kimbrel are willing to accept multi-year deals. 

The Braves are set to go to arbitration with Jason Heyward, Craig Kimbrel and Freddie Freeman just days before the club gets together for spring training, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Heyward's hearing is set for February 11, Freeman's is on February 13 and Kimbrel's will take place February 17. Pitchers and catchers are set to report on the 12, while position players will report on the 18. All three players are expected to have the hearing, as the Braves are one of the teams that employ a "file to trial" method when it comes to arbitration.

Mets infielder Wilmer Flores began his pro career as a shortstop before his lack of mobility at the position forced the team to move him around the infield.

Well, Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said if Flores' offseason conditioning program pays the type of dividends they hope, then Flores could get some reps at shortstop this spring, per MLB.com.

"I don’t think we’d rule it out," Alderson said in a telephone interview. "Why should we? I think we have to see how spring training plays out for him -- is there going to be a spot for him in the lineup? Is there not? Is he going to be a bench player for us? Is he going to go to Las Vegas?"

Flores spent the offseason going through a team-supervised conditioning program instead of playing winter ball in Venezuela. The team wanted Flores to focus on his overall health.

"It became clear, if you watched him play last year and run the bases … that [conditioning] was an area that needed to improve," Alderson said. "Since he’d never done any conditioning at all, you say to yourself, ‘Gee, there may be substantial opportunity for improvement. Let’s see what happens. Let’s try it.’ And that’s what we’ve done. We won’t know the benefits of that until we get down to spring training. 

"I wouldn’t say [Flores to shortstop] is dead. I think that one of the things we want to see is how well he has done with his training regimen in Michigan."

The Phillies are "optimistic" about first baseman Ryan Howard's status heading into 2014, according to manager Ryne Sandberg. However, the team still has some concerns, particularly how Howard will perform against left-handed pitching, according to The Philadelphia Daily News.

Howard is a career .295 batter against right-handed pitchers, as opposed to a .224 batter against lefties. He's hit just .173 against lefties the last two seasons.

"He's going to get the opportunity to hit against lefties," Sandberg said. "That's in spring training . . . to get better at that. That's the first thing that takes place."

Still, unlike his predecessor -- Charlie Manuel -- who kept Howard in the lineup regularly, Sandberg alluded to benching Howard against lefties, if he doesn't improve.

"Not if we have a righthanded hitter that can go over there and hit. That's not a concern. 'Cause I can maybe do something about it," Sandberg said.

Yet, the Phillies are hoping it doesn't come to a platoon and remain confident Howard will be productive in 2014 after two straight disappointing seasons.

"I think he's going to be on the field and healthy and he's going to provide solid offense for us," general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said. "And I know if he's on the field, that's what he's doing, and we'll win games because he is on the field. He's 100 percent. There's nothing medically wrong with him. His knee's fine. His calf's fine. It's time for him to play and produce."

The Braves have exchanged salary arbitration figures with three players, CBSSports.com baseball insider Jon Heyman reports.

First baseman Freddie Freeman filed for $5.75 million, and the Braves offered $4.5 million. He is in his first year of arbitration eligibility after hitting .319/.396/.501 with 23 home runs and 109 RBI in 551 at-bats last season.

Outfielder Jason Heyward filed for $5.5 million, and the team offered $5.2 million. He is his second year of arbitration eligibility after making $3.65 million last season while hitting .254/.349/.427 with 14 home runs and 38 RBI in 382 at-bats.

Closer Craig Kimbrel filed for $9 million, and the team offered $6.55 million. He is in his first year of arbitration eligibility after leading the majors with 50 saves while posting a 1.21 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 98:20 K:BB ratio in 67 innings.

The Braves still have a number of players who have not settled on a contract for 2014.

The club is in the process of exchanging arbitration numbers with the players, and both sides likely want to avoid an arbitration hearing. Much of the team's core is still unsettled, with Craig Kimbrel, Freddie Freeman, Jason Heyward, Mike Minor and Kris Medlen among the players still in need of a contract. All those players are still under team control, so there's no risk Atlanta will lose them. But they need to agree on a figure for next season. Arbitration hearing are scheduled to take place beginning in February, so the team still has a few weeks to figure out the issue.

While Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo led his team with 23 home runs, 40 doubles and 80 RBI in 2013, he hit just .233 and .191 with runners in scoring position. Rizzo admitted his poor average was a result of putting too much pressure on himself, according to MLB.com.

"I have the expectation every year to hit my peak, whether it's in the big leagues or in Little League," he said. "Once it gets down to where maybe the numbers aren't where I want them to be, I try a little harder. Throughout the year, with the exception of a few bad ruts, I hit the ball pretty decent."

Rizzo predicts 2014 will be different and he's looking forward to playing for new manager Rick Renteria, who Rizzo had worked previously with during his tenure with the Padres.

"[Renteria] was great when I was there in San Diego -- especially when I got sent down," Rizzo said. "He told me he had no doubt in his mind that I'd be a great player and not to let it shake me or anything. That was nice and encouraging. He did that on the side. My time there was kind of a blur. I just know he's a great person."

Faced with a bevy of arbitration-eligible players ahead of Monday's non-tender deadline, the Braves opted to bring back all but three of them. Only one was actually signed to a contract, as the team agreed to undisclosed terms on a one-year deal with infielder Ramiro Pena, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

The team also tendered contracts to nine other players, whose salaries for 2014 will be determined by the arbitration process, unless contracts can be agreed upon. Pitchers Craig Kimbrel, Brandon Beachy, Kris Medlen, Mike Minor and Jordan Walden; infielders Freddie Freeman and Chris Johnson and outfielders Jason Heyward and Jordan Schafer will all return to the team next season.