LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The Braves remain hopeful that they'll be able to avoid arbitration hearings with both Jeff Francoeur and Kelly Johnson, but there is a growing belief that they won't be able to do so with Francoeur.

Francoeur has requested a salary of $3.95 million, and Atlanta has offered $2.8 million. As their discussions have become more limited over the course of the past month, the two parties haven't reached a point that indicates they'll reach an agreement before going to Phoenix for their scheduled hearing on Feb. 20.

Johnson's hearing, which is scheduled for Feb. 19, seems less likely to occur. But there is still some work to be done before an agreement can be reached. The second baseman has requested a $3.3 million salary, and the Braves have offered $2.35 million.

Avoiding an arbitration hearing with either of the two players might have been more feasible in previous years. But Atlanta has between $6 million and $7 million to spend while pursuing an outfielder and keeping the door open for Tom Glavine's potential return.

Simply making an uncomfortable salary concession to avoid having to air dirty laundry in front of an arbitrator would further diminish the available funds Braves general manager Frank Wren is attempting to utilize while satisfying his roster needs.

From the players' perspectives, a drastic concession won't be made if they believe there's still a chance an arbitrator will rule in their favor.

In other words, if Atlanta was willing to concede an extra $300,000 to Francoeur -- moving his offer to $3.1 million -- and Francoeur was willing to accept a $3.4 million salary, the resulting $300,000 difference might still leave the two parties too far apart to comfortably reach an agreement.

If the Braves feel comfortable they can win the arbitration case, the $300,000 they'd be saving by conceding to Francoeur at $3.4 million could prove valuable in their attempt to gain an outfielder. As for Francoeur, he could certainly look at a $3.1 million offer and conclude that it doesn't make sense to pass up the potential of $3.95 million -- if he wins the arbitration hearing -- when he knows he's guaranteed to make at least $2.8 million -- if he loses his arbitration hearing.

Intent on putting the 2008 season behind him, Francoeur arrived in camp on Tuesday and has taken batting practice each of the past two days. If he's forced to go through with the hearing, he'll be away from camp on Feb. 19 and 20.

Coming off the worst season of his young career, Francoeur doesn't possess the leverage that he'd hoped to own entering his first arbitration-eligible season. But the 25-year-old right fielder still believes his career statistics and achievements provide him a chance to win the salary that he's requested.

Since making his Major League debut on July 7, 2005, Francoeur ranks ninth among all Major Leaguers with 540 starts. David Wright and Jose Reyes are the players who have played solely in the National League during this span and made more starts.

The 549 games Francoeur has played during that span are 86 more than any other Braves player.

Francoeur's agents, Keith Grunewald and Molly Fletcher, will utilize these facts and point out that entering 2008, the young outfielder had recorded consecutive 100-RBI seasons and just earned his first National League Gold Glove Award -- which was a result of a strong arm that has allowed him to notch a Major League-best 59 outfield assists dating back to his big league debut.

While having to concede that Francoeur has been the club's most utilized player over the course of the past 3 1/2 seasons, Atlanta will argue that the on-field results don't match his salary request.

Right now, it's not clear whether Francoeur will live up to his tremendous early expectations -- which earned him a spot on the U.S. team in the 2006 World Baseball Classic -- or continue to struggle like he did in 2008. His early-career inconsistencies were apparent when he hit .260 with 29 homers in 2006 but was steadier the next season, when he hit .294 with less power (19 homers).

Before hitting .239 with 11 homers and a .359 slugging percentage in 2008, Francoeur had a career .280 batting average, 62 homers and a .463 slugging percentage. Over the past two seasons, he has hit .267 with 30 homers, 176 RBIs and a .403 slugging percentage.

These are some of the numbers that will be thrown around if and when an arbitrator has to rule on a hearing that currently seems destined to occur.