Port St. Lucie, Fla. — What might be becoming a trend in baseball is becoming a trend for Jeff Francoeur. The Braves outfielder's contract was renewed unilaterally by the team Monday for the second year in a row.

As a player with zero to three years of major-league experience, Francoeur is under the constraints of the Braves' pay scale, and he chose not to accept the team's one-year offer. He was unilaterally renewed for about $450,000.

His salary for 2008 amounts to a relatively modest raise from last year's $427,500.

Francoeur hasn't ruled out the possibility of reaching a long-term contract but indicated he would only consider negotiating until the end of March, when the Braves break camp. Then, he said, he wants to focus on the season.

"If there is anything I've learned from this, it's part of the process," Francoeur said. "It's how it works out sometimes. Would I have liked to get something done [long term]? Absolutely. At the same time, I'm looking forward to this season and having a big year. I'm heading into arbitration next year. We'll see what happens."

The renewal cost Francoeur about $20,000. Not accepting the Braves' offer allowed Francoeur to make a statement about what he believes his value is, perhaps giving him a case in future arbitration hearings.

"With as much respect as exists between Jeff and the Braves, this is the right decision right now," said his agent, Molly Fletcher of Career Sports & Entertainment. "Because in the end, it's a business."

Francoeur said he wasn't worried the move might hurt him in the public eye.

"I think anyone who knows me and what I'm about knows I love to play the game and I love playing for Atlanta," Francoeur said. "It's part of the process. The first three years, the team has the advantage, and they'll take advantage of every opportunity they have. I understand that. At no point will I be bitter. I have too much respect for [general manager] Frank [Wren] and the Braves."

He and Wren said this wouldn't affect future negotiations negatively.

"It's a bit surprising to me when a player chooses to be renewed, but that's their right," Wren said. "The union recognizes that — that the first three years players are learning and developing, so the club gets a chance to set the salary structure they want in place."

Next year, Francoeur, 24, will be eligible for arbitration. He won't be a free agent until after the 2011 season.

Rarely do the Braves sign players to long-term contracts until they are at least arbitration-eligible, but they have made exceptions. Brian McCann signed a six-year, $26.8 million extension last spring, two years before he was arbitration-eligible. Chipper Jones signed an $8.25 million extension in 1996 with a $4.75 million option when he had about two years of major-league service time.

Both sacrificed a portion of what they likely would have commanded on the free-agent market. Francoeur, who fits in the same category as McCann and Jones, said this week that he'd have to be comfortable with a long-term offer.

If any of this were weighing on his mind, it didn't show Monday. Francoeur, like most veteran players, did not travel to play the New York Mets in Port St. Lucie. After his morning workout at Braves camp, he met John Smoltz and Tom Glavine for a round of golf with Tiger Woods.

"My day is not too bad," Francoeur said.