Sports in Brief: MLB intends to ban plate collisions by '15

Major League Baseball plans to eliminate home plate collisions, possibly as soon as next season but no later than by 2015.

New York Mets general manager Sandy Alderson, chairman of the rules committee, made the announcement Wednesday at the winter meetings in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

"This is, I think, in response to a few issues that have arisen," Alderson said. "One is just the general occurrence of injuries from these incidents at home plate that affect players, both runners and catchers. And also kind of the general concern about concussions that exists not only in baseball but throughout professional sports and amateur sports today. It's an emerging issue, and one that we in baseball have to address, as well as other sports."

Alderson said wording of the rules change will be presented to owners for approval at the Jan. 16 meeting in Paradise Valley, Ariz.

Corey Hart and the Seattle Mariners reached agreement on a one-year contract, putting another slugger in a lineup that already has added Robinson Cano this offseason.

The outfielder-first baseman confirmed he had agreed to the deal in a text message to the AP.

Matt Kemp's agent said the Los Angeles Dodgers are not trading the all-star outfielder. Dave Stewart spoke with Los Angeles general manager Ned Colletti at baseball's winter meetings, and walked away feeling confident that the Dodgers would not move his Kemp.

SKIING Mapping out her Olympics preparation after a three-race test, Lindsey Vonn will skip this weekend's World Cup stop in St. Moritz, Switzerland, and is planning to return to the circuit in Val d'Isere, France, on Dec. 21.

The 29-year-old American returned to competition at Lake Louise, Alberta, last week, 10 months after tearing two ligaments in her right knee and breaking a bone in that leg during a crash at the world championships.

- Staff and wire reports