Braves, Francoeur avoid arbitration

Lake Buena Vista, Fla. — Jeff Francoeur was never happier to cancel plane tickets than early Thursday, after the Braves right fielder avoided a salary-arbitration hearing by agreeing to a one-year, $3.375 million contract.

“I’m just so glad to get this over with,” said Francoeur, who would’ve flown to Phoenix late Thursday morning for a Friday hearing if there hadn’t been a settlement. “Last night about 12 o’clock I got a phone call and it was done. I was so excited, I couldn’t go to bed.

“Everyone did a great job of getting this done with, so I don’t have to go out there. I’m happy, excited, and looking forward to this season. I don’t have to look at last year now. It’s done.”

When the two sides exchanged salary-arbitration figures last month, Francoeur asked for $3.95 million and the team offered $2.8 million. He settled near the midpoint, and can earn an additional $25,000 with 685 plate appearances.

Determined to bounce back after a frustrating 2008 season, Francoeur made adjustments to his swing and his conditioning program over the winter.

The 25-year-old former Parkview High star produced consecutive 100-RBI seasons and won a Gold Glove in 2007 before slipping in 2008, when he hit .239 with 11 home runs, 71 RBIs and a .294 on-base percentage.

Braves general manager Frank Wren said the Braves believe last year wasn’t indicative of Francoeur’s talent, and the team is counting on him to play a big role for an outfield that produced just 27 homers in 2008.

Francoeur was the last unsigned arbitration-eligible Braves player. He had hoped to avoid a potentially acrimonious hearing, where a representative of the Braves would have pointed out his flaws and the reasons the salary offered by the team was more fair than the one he’d asked for.

The arbitration panel would have awarded him one of the two salaries, and nothing in between.

“Now I don’t have to worry about going and sitting in a [hearing] for three hours,” said Francoeur, who had a feeling there might be a settlement forthcoming, and told his wife Wednesday that they would wait to pack for their Thursday flight until the morning if it was still necessary.

They cancelled their tickets and Francoeur wouldn’t have to miss any Braves spring workouts.

“I kind of feel like a new man,” Francouer said before Thursday’s practice.