MLB Player News

Mets infielder Wilmer Flores will see some time at shortstop this offseason, according to the Star-Ledger. 

Flores hasn't played the position since 2011, but the team is interested to see how he'll perform. Flores spent most of the winter working on his conditioning. Flores is confident in his abilities to pick up the position again. "I played for years," Flores said. "It’s not going to be a new position. I’m sure I can play."

Flores hit .211/.248/.295 in 95 at-bats last season.

Some have given up on Ryan Howard. Ryan Howard is certainly not one of them.

In fact, the Phillies first baseman is predicting a renaissance year. He not only stated that he wants to play in all 162 games, but said he could perform well against left-handers and slug 58 home runs, according to the Philadelphia Daily News.

That would be some mean feat for Howard, who lost the second half of last season to knee surgery and peaked at 58 homers in 2006. The 10-year veteran batted .266 with 11 home runs and 43 RBI in 286 at-bats in 2013, but just .173 against southpaws.

Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson said he isn't concerned about first baseman Paul Goldschmidt getting complacent following a breakout season in 2013, according to MLB.com.

"He's prepared and he's stayed extremely humble," Gibson said. "I don't think anything is going to go to anybody's head. As good as you think Goldy was, in his mind he thinks he could be so much better and he thinks his teammates could be so much better and we agree."

While there has been a lot of chatter this offseason about the Reds moving Joey Votto into the No. 2 spot in the lineup because of his high on-base percentage, manager Bryan Price told MLB Network Radio Wednesday it's unlikely they will move Votto in the lineup.

"I don’t think so," Price said of hitting Votto second. "He’s our best hitter. Our most productive hitter. He's worked hard to understand the strike zone."

The Braves and first baseman Freddie Freeman have agreed to an eight-year contract worth $135 million, MLB.com reports.

News of the two sides agreeing to an extension broke earlier Tuesday and the initial figures had the deal in the $100-million range, but the actual total ends up being a fair amount more than that. An eight-year deal keeps Freeman in Atlanta through 2021, when he'll be 32 years old.

Freeman has spent three seasons and change with the Braves, hitting .285/.358/.466 with 68 home runs and 280 RBI in 1,686 at-bats. He had his best statistical season in 2013, when he hit .319/.396/.501 with 23 home runs and 109 RBI in 551 at-bats.

The Braves extension with first baseman Freddie Freeman will be in the $100 million range, according to FoxSports.com.

Freeman was set to go to arbitration with the club, but avoided it by coming to a multi-year agreement. One source told FoxSports.com the deal could wind up being eight-years, $125 million. It was initially unclear whether the extension would buy out his remaining arbitration-eligible seasons, or if it would cover some of his free-agent years. If the deal is worth close to $100 million, it would surely buy out a few seasons of Freeman's free agency. Freeman is under team control through 2016. 

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.