MLB Player News

The Braves are likely to go to arbitration with closer Craig Kimbrel, according to Yahoo!

Though the team avoided arbitration with Freddie Freeman and Jason Heyward Tuesday, it appears they are willing to take Kimbrel to a hearing. Kimbrel filed for $9 million. The Braves countered with $6.55 million. Kimbrel posted a 1.21 ERA in 67 innings last season.

The Mariners, Orioles and Mets are expressing strong interest in free agent closer Fernando Rodney, according to USA Today.

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 prospect Rafael Montero has his sights set on winning the final spot in the team's rotation this spring.

"The goal is to go and make the team," Montero told The Star-Ledger. "But I don’t control that. (General manager) Sandy Alderson and (manager) Terry Collins control that. I’ll go wherever they send me, to Triple-A or the majors, without a problem."

There's some concern long-term that Montero might not have the frame (6-0, 170 pounds) to handle a starter's workload in the majors. However, he's become one of the team's top pitching prospects, and the Mets seem to think he can develop into a regular in the rotation.

"I think he can handle (being a starter)," Mets' director of Latin American operations Juan Henderson said. "He’s got the build and a few good pitches, plus he’s a strike thrower. I think he can handle it. And he’s got a big heart. He’s a competitor."

The Mets are still in the market to sign a closer-type reliever, a source unaffiliated with the club told ESPN. The source believes Fernando Rodney is the team's top target, but the team would likely consider Kevin Gregg, Ryan Madson and Joel Hanrahan as well.

Closer Bobby Parnell has expressed confidence in bouncing back from neck surgery, but the Mets don't have much of a safety net.

Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen is not concerned about his arbitration case, according to the Los Angeles Times. 

Jansen filed for $5.05 million, while the team wanted to pay him $3.5 million. As far as Jansen is concerned, he's just going to focus on the season. "I leave all that to my agent," Jansen said. "I know what my No. 1 goal is, and that’s to get ready for the season."

Jansen is glad to have had an offseason without restriction. Last year he was rehabbing after heart surgery. Though the team has former closers Chris Perez and Brian Wilson in town, Jansen isn't worried about his job. "It’s going to be awesome. It’s going to be lights out. We have a really deep bullpen."

The Mets have had dialogue with the representatives for free-agent reliever Fernando Rodney, according to ESPN. However, it sounds like the Mets might just sign a few free-agent relievers to minor-league deals instead of signing Rodney.

"We've got a lot of good young arms that we like -- they just don't have much experience," general manager Sandy Alderson told MLB.com. "Acquiring someone with some experience would give us some comfort going into spring training, but we don't want to preclude some of our younger pitchers from getting a solid opportunity either. So if there's somebody there that we like, we'll pursue them. Otherwise, one of the ways we've approached starting pitching, for example, is to bring in a couple of guys on minor-league contracts and have them compete with some of our own internal candidates. We may do the same thing with the bullpen."

The Mariners are the latest team to be showing interest in free agent reliever Fernando Rodney, according to Yahoo! Sports. They join the Mets and Orioles as teams considering signing the veteran pitcher.

The Reds avoided arbitration with closer Aroldis Chapman, agreeing to a one-year deal worth $5 million, according to the New York Post. Chapman had asked for $5.4 million and the Reds offered $4.6 million when they exchanged contract figures.

Chapman signed a five-year deal as an amateur free agent in Jan. 2010, but a clause in the contract allowed him to convert a portion of the contract to a bonus and become arbitration eligible this offseason.