MLB

The Atlanta Braves had a difficult offseason. Star catcher Brian McCann and veteran pitcher Tim Hudson both left Atlanta and instead of replacing those players, the Braves stood pat.

Fans were restless.

Freddie Freeman should feel special on this fine day in February, as the word is he's the first $100 million player in Atlanta Braves history.

Good for him, but even better for the Braves. They just locked up a young, talented player who's on the rise for money that's really not all that absurd by today's standards.

First of all, the news itself. As the Braves happily announced on Twitter:

With spring training right around the corner, the New York Mets will have a number of sleeper prospects for fans to watch throughout February and March.

If all you're looking for is a typical 150-200-word blurb, then this should do the trick.

After Murphy’s Law wrecked their 2012 season, everything went the Boston Red Sox’s way in 2013. They won 97 games, the AL East title, the American League pennant and, of course, the World Series.

The very idea of Major League Baseball teams investing big bucks in unproven international players doesn't sound like a good idea. A look back at recorded history will say that, yeah, it's really not.

The twist, however, is that this might not be the case for much longer.

You can probably guess why we're about to have this conversation. Surely you've seen seen the three big contracts handed out to international stars since the middle of last October. If not, well:

There's no doubt that the bold move of luring Theo Epstein away from the Boston Red Sox to become the Chicago Cubs' president of baseball operations changed the culture of baseball on the north side of Chicago. Instantly, there was a change in organizational philosophy and for the first time in seemingly forever, the Cubs were preparing to undergo a rebuild.

A successful baseball season usually consists of a team having a lot more players meeting or exceeding expectations than those who fall short. In most cases, at least one or two of those players will perform way above and beyond what anyone could have imagined.

The Atlanta Braves have reached an agreement with first baseman Freddie Freeman on an eight-year contract extension to avoid arbitration.

The Braves tweeted confirmation of the news:

Jon Morosi of Fox Sports clarified the monetary amount:

Jason Heyward has yet to live up to the lofty expectations bestowed upon him as a rookie in 2010, but the Atlanta Braves ensured that he will continue to develop in their organization by signing the young outfielder to a two-year contract in an effort to avoid arbitration, according to SportsCenter on Twitter:

With the Super Bowl over and spring training commencing in under a week, the start of the baseball season is legitimately within sight. And given that, it’s time to continue to preview the season.

The Dodgers head into 2013 with more injury questions than one wants to see before the season has even started—and the majority of those uncertainties are key players whom we should keep an eye on as the calendar unfolds.