AP Source: Cubs Having Active Talks With RHP Yu Darvish  —  CHICAGO — The Chicago Cubs are having active talks with free agent Yu Darvish, hoping to add the right-hander to their rotation as they try for a second championship in three seasons.  —  The 31-year-old Darvish …

Since 1990, Braves have fielded more top prospects than any other team  —  Dynamic Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna was named by Baseball America as the No. 1 prospect in the sport ahead of the 2018 season.  —  He is not the first Braves hot-shot to land atop the list of future stars.

Starting pitchers Yankees GM Brian Cashman could make a play for at the July trade deadline  —  To appreciate the depth of the Yankees' farm system, consider that last July they traded four players who at the time were on Baseball America's list of Top 100 prospects.

Sources: Alex Rodriguez to work with both ESPN and Fox  —  ESPN is expected to announce a deal, possibly as early as today, for Alex Rodriguez of Fox Sports to join the cast of “Sunday Night Baseball,” sources tell Sporting News.  —  During the regular season, A-Rod would work …

Detroit Tigers sign utilityman Alexi Amarista to minor-league deal  —  Add another entrant to the Detroit Tigers' utilityman competition.  —  The Tigers have signed Alexi Amarista to a minor-league deal, according to multiple persons with knowledge of the situation.

Five questions facing the White Sox with spring training approaching  —  Chicago Tribune  —  White Sox players and management will gather in Chicago this weekend for SoxFest and will face plenty of questions about the 2018 season and beyond.  —  Here's a look at some issues facing the Sox with spring training less than a month away:

Baseball America drops Phillies prospect Mickey Moniak from top 100 list  —  The Phillies have five players on Baseball America's annual list of top 100 major-league prospects, but the name that is missing is the most glaring.  Mickey Moniak, whom the Phillies drafted first overall in 2016 …

Will the Orioles make a move before FanFest?  —  Much has been written in this space over the past few months about a slow-moving free-agent market, so without regurgitating the conspiracy theories about why so many players still remain unsigned less than three weeks before pitchers …

Padres To Sign Allen Craig  —  The Padres have inked a minors pact with veteran first baseman Allen Craig, according to Chris Cotillo of SB Nation (via Twitter).  The contract includes an invitation to MLB Spring Training, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune tweets.

Brand new ballgame: A look at MLB's in-house development of R.B.I. Baseball 18  —  MLB Advanced Media started out managing websites.  Now it's developing its own video game  —  Basic though it is, the pinstriped design presents some challenges for the makers of baseball video games.