LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Chipper Jones wants to spend his entire career in Atlanta, and it appears the Braves may be willing to provide him the opportunity.

The Braves and Jones have been negotiating a multiyear contract that could keep the veteran third baseman in Atlanta until he has reached a stage in his career when he could be contemplating retirement.

"I think I'm going to be as productive at 40 as I am now," Jones said. "You're not going to be as spry in the legs as you were when you were 25, but you can still be productive."

The Braves and Jones have had ongoing negotiations over the past few weeks, and there has been some indication that an agreement could be reached before Opening Day. But it still appears that they'll have to resolve some issues before an agreement could be considered imminent.

Three weeks ago, the veteran third baseman made it know that he won't play amid contract negotiations once the regular season begins.

"I've played my entire career with the Braves, and they're the only organization that I've ever known," Jones said. "I've always said that I want to play in Atlanta forever."

Jones captured his first National League batting title and earned his sixth All-Star selection during the 2008 season. The third baseman, who will turn 37 in April, is the only switch-hitter in Major League history to hit at least 300 homers and maintain a career batting average of at least .300.

Over the past three seasons, Jones led all Major Leaguers with a .342 batting average, ranked second with a .435 on-base percentage and stood fourth with a .592 slugging percentage.