Sports in Brief: Braves agree to deal with Floyd

The Atlanta Braves added a needed veteran for their rotation Monday when they agreed to a $4 million, one-year contract with former Phillies righthander Gavin Floyd.

Floyd, 30, is recovering from surgery in May to repair the ulnar collateral ligament and a torn flexor muscle in his right elbow. That ended his seventh season with the Chicago White Sox, who had acquired him in a December 2006 trade with the Phillies.

Boston Red Sox rightfielder Shane Victorino underwent surgery to release a nerve in his right thumb. The former Phillie is expected to be ready for spring training.

Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball finalized a new posting system that caps the fee for players at $20 million, a deal that may lead to star pitcher Masahiro Tanaka's going on the market.

John Axford, who had 46 saves for Milwaukee in 2011 but has struggled since, agreed to a one-year, $4.5 million deal with Cleveland.

Arizona bolstered its bullpen by acquiring Addison Reed in a trade that sent third-base prospect Matt Davidson to the White Sox.

BOXING Heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko, who has not fought since September 2012, said he is vacating his World Boxing Council title and will leave the sport for politics in his native Ukraine. Klitschko, 42, a member of the Ukrainian parliament, may pursue the presidency in 2015. He has a 45-2 record, with 41 knockouts. His brother Wladimir Klitschko, 37, holds the other significant heavyweight titles.

COLLEGES Auburn's Gus Malzahn won the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award presented by the Football Writers Association of America. He led the Tigers (12-1) to the BCS national championship game in his first season after taking over a team that went 3-9 in 2012.  

The University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., will host the College Football Playoff championship game in 2016, and Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., will be the site of the 2017 title game. The championship game for the 2014 season will played Jan. 12, 2015, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Kevin Higgins is leaving the Citadel after nine seasons to become assistant head coach at Wake Forest under new football coach Dave Clawson. Higgins was head coach at Lehigh when Clawson served as offensive coordinator in 1994-95.

- Associated Press