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Braves notebook: Team aims to close deal with Glavine
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KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Day 2 of spring training. Still no Tom Glavine.

But it appears more and more likely baseball’s only active 300-game winner will soon be in camp for the Atlanta Braves.

The two sides had a good meeting last week, and Glavine’s agent, Gregg Clifton, was planning to talk with the team again Monday in hopes to moving closer to a deal.

The Braves are eager for the 42-year-old Glavine to return as the fifth starter in a rebuilt rotation, but only if he’ll take a significant cut in the $8 million he made last year, when he made only 13 starts before season-ending elbow surgery.

Clifton sounded hopeful that a deal will be reached.

"We continue to make progress," he told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.

"When you have too sides that want to be together, it shouldn’t be too difficult to reach a resolution."

Manager Bobby Cox said there’s no rush. Glavine has been working out on his own in Atlanta, which might be a better situation than being in camp.

"The plan all along was to keep him there rehabbing," Cox said.

If healthy, Glavine would be a nice fit at the back end of a rotation that includes newcomers Derek Lowe, Javier Vazquez and Kenshin Kawakami, along with 13-game winner Jair Jurrjens.

Clifton said there’s no doubt Glavine will be ready to go on opening day.

While Glavine’s situation moves toward a resolution, much of the speculation in camp has shifted toward the possibility of signing outfielder Ken Griffey Jr.

The Braves are eager to bolster an outfield that produced only 27 homers last season. While Griffey’s best years are certainly behind him, he did have 18 homers and 71 RBIs splitting time between Cincinnati and the Chicago White Sox in 2008.

General manager Frank Wren has acknowledged that Griffey is one of several available outfielder that he’s considering, but won’t say anything more.

"No news," he said Monday when asked if a signing or trade was imminent.

NASCAR fans

Stock car racing has a couple of new fans: Braves relievers Peter Moylan and Phil Stockman.

The two Australians slipped off to Daytona over the weekend as guests of countryman Marcus Ambrose, who’s in his first full season on the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit.

They listened in on a practice session, sat in the stands with Ambrose to watch a truck race, then watched from the pits Sunday as he finished a respectable 17th in the season-opening Daytona 500.

"It’s unbelievable what goes into a race," Stockman said. "I just thought the cars go round and round. But when you’re out there and see all that goes into it, it’s a lot harder than it looks."

Campillo impresses

Jorge Campillo was one of the Braves’ most reliable pitchers, but he hardly got any attention heading into spring training.

Manager Bobby Cox remembers how important Campillo was in 2008.

"He saved us last year as a starter," Cox said. "We felt we could win games when he toed the rubber."

Campillo, who had signed as minor-league free agent, made 25 starts and 14 relief appearances for the Braves after injuries ravaged the pitching staff. He went 8-7 with a 3.91 ERA.

Cox said the 30-year-old right-hander is just as impressive this spring.

Extra bases

RHP Rafael Soriano missed his second straight workout with an illness, but team doctors said it’s nothing serious. ... The Braves have two of the 10 arbitration cases that have yet to be settled. OF Jeff Francoeur is asking for $3.95 million, the team is offering $2.8 million. 2B Kelly Johnson is requesting $3.3 million, compared with Atlanta’s offer of $2.35 million. Both will have hearings this week if they don’t settle beforehand.

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