What I'm hearing about the Royals' interest in Jarren Duran and more MLB notes  —  Even after signing free agent Lane Thomas and trading for Isaac Collins, the Kansas City Royals are open to adding another outfielder - most notably Jarren Duran, if the Boston Red Sox lower their asking price.

How David Stearns is remaking Mets after historic collapse  —  The New York Mets arrived in Orlando, Florida, for the winter meetings last week with a chance to re-sign closer Edwin Diaz and first baseman Pete Alonso.  —  Díaz had already received two contract offers …

Source: Mets sign outfielder Cristian Pache to minor league deal  —  The Mets have added a versatile outfielder to the mix in Cristian Pache. … The New York Mets have added major league experience to their outfield depth.  —  The Mets are in agreement on a minor league contract …

Aiming to level playing field, MLB to regulate use of data and tech in minors  —  Deep-pocketed organizations have gained an advantage in recent years by flexing their financial muscle in the minor leagues.  By spending freely on cutting edge tools like high-speed cameras and motion capture technology …

Updated contract projections for top four free agent hitters  —  The market for free agent hitters got a jolt last week at the winter meetings when 32-year-old designated hitter Kyle Schwarber agreed to a five-year, $150 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies, and that was followed …

Diamondbacks showing interest in big-name free-agent Alex Bregman … The Arizona Diamondbacks have shown interest in free-agent third baseman Alex Bregman, sources confirmed, a surprising development for a club that has been hyper-focused on adding pitchers, not position players, for the first few months of the offseason.

Texas QB Arch Manning will return to school for 2026 season  —  Texas quarterback Arch Manning will return to school to play in 2026, finally putting to rest questions about his future beyond this season.  —  In a text message to ESPN's Dave Wilson on Monday night, Arch's dad, Cooper Manning …

Rockies hire former Mets exec Levin as assistant GM  —  DENVER — Ian Levin, who spent 20 years in various capacities with the Mets, eventually rising to vice president and assistant general manager, is joining the Rockies as an assistant general manager, the team announced on Monday.

Red Sox, Nationals exchange pitching prospects  —  Paul Toboni spoke of “creating a scouting and player development monster” when he was hired as the Nationals' president of baseball operations.  —  Toboni addressed the Nats' Minor League system on Monday by swapping pitching prospects with the Red Sox …

Red Sox among teams free agent righthander Michael King is considering  —  Free agent righthander Michael King has the Red Sox, Yankees, and Orioles among the teams he is considering, a major league source told the Globe on Sunday.  —  King was 18-12 with a 3.10 ERA and 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings …