ONGOING DEAL: San Diego Padres And New York Yankees Have Reached An Agreement For A World Class Pitcher Juan Soto On A Five Year Deal Worth $630M

MLB winter meetings: Free agency intel from Olney and Passan

MLB’s winter meetings begin Monday in Dallas, signaling when baseball’s offseason activity is likely to take off after a relatively slow first month.

All eyes will be on the free agency of superstar outfielder Juan Soto, who is likely to sign by the end of the meetings — if not before they even begin. But Soto is far from the only player who could be in for a huge payday as the baseball world gathers in Texas with Pete Alonso, Willy Adames, Corbin Burnes and Max Fried among the other in-demand free agents looking for their next homes. The trade market also figures to ratchet up in the coming days with Chicago White Sox ace Garrett Crochet highlighting the stars who could be dealt.

When and where will Soto sign? Which teams could land the other players in line for a nine-figure payday and who is looking to make a blockbuster trade?

Here is the latest intel we’re hearing on the players, teams and themes that will rock the meetings — starting with the one name everyone is watching.

The chaos of men’s college basketball has been on full display in recent weeks, from the madness of Feast Week to Kentucky’s loss to Clemson on Tuesday, to Creighton’s upset of No. 1 Kansas on Wednesday.

Among the highlights of this week’s SEC/ACC Men’s Challenge and Big 12-Big East battles were multiple, high-level performances from a handful of stars. Some of those efforts were generated by familiar faces, but a pair of freshmen — one who might be the best player in the country, and another who had barely played to this point — were the clear headliners.

What ensued was another reminder that this sport is at its best when new stars emerge and demand our attention. These players who excelled for their teams on Wednesday are worthy of recognition now, and in the coming months leading up to the NCAA tournament.

ESPN’s Myron Medcalf, Jeff Borzello and Joe Lunardi put a bow on two of the biggest early-season days in men’s college hoops, breaking down the stars, an upset and why we should be worried about one particular power conference.