Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman has been hard at work during the offseason, working out five days a week with several of his teammates at a local gym and hitting three times a week with second baseman Dan Uggla.

This week’s rumor centered around Michael Bourn, the game’s top-ranked free-agent outfielder. The Mets have reportedly discussed petitioning Major League Baseball to allow them to keep their 11th overall Draft pick if they sign Bourn, who would normally cost his new team a first-round selection. But Sandy Alderson has not made an official request because he does not yet have a deal in place, and he may never, considering Bourn’s contract demands and the Mets’ conservative offseason approach.

Phil Coke spent October thriving without a set role in the Tigers bullpen. It only figured he’d be doing the same on the team’s Winter Caravan.

Former Cy Young Award winner Randy Jones will join the Padres during Spring Training as a special instructor around March 1, which is when the Minor League players report to the team’s Spring Training facility in Peoria, Ariz.

Some of the excitement surrounding Thursday’s acquisition of Justin Upton was tempered by the reality that the beloved Martin Prado would no longer be gracing the Braves’ clubhouse with his presence on a daily basis.

Baseball’s owners succeeded in getting some cost certainty in their First-Year Player Draft budgets. They were happy about this. Meanwhile, players got the number of free agents requiring Draft pick compensation reduced. They were happy about that. Now, 14 months later, baseball’s 2011 labor agreement is being scrutinized for a section that didn’t seem significant at the time.

For anyone who followed the Red Sox closely from 2004-11, Terry Francona’s new book is not only a must read, but it is a fascinating and entertaining look into the daily life on Yawkey Way during that memorable time period.

The Marlins have offered former NFL quarterback Pat White a Minor League contract.

Though Alex Rodriguez hopes to return from hip surgery sometime after the All-Star break, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman acknowledged in an interview with WFAN on Friday that the veteran third baseman could miss the entire season.

Jonathan Singleton, the Astros’ No. 1 prospect who will be suspended the first 50 games of this season after testing positive for marijuana, will participate in Minor League camp this spring.

Astros starting catcher Jason Castro can only hope a terrific offseason will mean a breakout regular season is coming his way in 2013. He expects to begin camp as healthy as ever and is eager to build on last year’s strong finish.

Braves right-hander Kris Medlen announced Friday he has decided to withdraw from the World Baseball Classic, citing the impending birth of his first child.

Expectations will be high for the Cardinals’ outfielders in 2013, largely because they set the bar there last season. And, barring injury, the unit returns unchanged.

The Royals claimed catcher George Kottaras off outright waivers from the Oakland Athletics on Friday, giving them seven catchers on their Spring Training roster.

Neither wind nor rain nor Southern California freeway traffic could keep a standing-room-only crowd from attending Don Mattingly’s inaugural charity fundraiser Thursday night.

The Padres’ Jedd Gyorko, the Cardinals’ Kolten Wong and the Orioles’ Jonathan Schoop head the list of MLB.com’s Top 10 second basemen.

Billy Hamilton has yet to steal a base in the Majors, or even have a plate appearance. But it doesn’t matter on the Reds Caravan, where Hamilton is a featured attraction on the Western leg.