Edinson Volquez watched the Royals make their surprising run to the World Series this past autumn and thought to himself, "Maybe I want to be a part of things there." Volquez finalized a $20 million, two-year contract that includes a mutual option for the 2017 season and was announced during a brief news conference at Kauffman Stadium. The right-handed Volquez, coming off one of the best seasons of his career with Pittsburgh, will make $7.5 million this season and $9.5 million next season. The option year would be worth $10 million and carries with it a $3 million buyout. "I want to be here and help the team win some games, the way they did last year," Volquez told reporters. "We did in Pittsburgh, too, but Kansas City went a little bit farther. They almost won the World Series. Why not do it here?" Volquez fills the last big hole by taking James Shields’ spot in the rotation. Shields became a free agent and it was unlikely the Royals would be able to keep him.

"We know full-well we'll have to continue to make adjustments on our roster. It's not a push-button club, it never was," Royals general manager Dayton Moore said recently. "But right now we feel like we're in a good position to start spring training and to start the season." Volquez was an All-Star for Cincinnati in 2008, going 17-6 with a 3.21 ERA. But he struggled with injuries and inconsistency the next few seasons, and started bouncing around the league. He spent 2012 and part of the 2013 season with the Padres, finished up that season with the Dodgers, and then joined Pittsburgh last season, where he seemed to resurrect his career. The 31-year-old Volquez went 13-7 with a career-best 3.04 ERA, and his 2-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio was among the best of his career. Volquez also ended the season with a career-best 18 straight scoreless innings, and had a 1.08 ERA in September. Volquez was 9-1 with a 1.85 ERA after June 23, spanning his final 17 starts. "I was really aggressive, attacking the hitter, in the strike zone, getting ahead of the count," Volquez explained. "And I controlled a little more my emotions."

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A figure in the investigation into use of banned performance-enhancing substances by Major League Baseball players was sentenced to less than 2½ years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiring to distribute testosterone. Jorge Velazquez told U.S. District Judge Cecilia Altonaga Tuesday that he is sorry for what happened. The Miami Herald reports the judge agreed to let him surrender to authorities on Jan. 12. Velazquez admitted being a drug supplier for Anthony Bosch, who ran the now-closed Biogenesis of America clinic in Coral Gables. Bosch and four others have also pleaded guilty in the case, which resulted in suspensions of 14 professional baseball players including Yankees star Alex Rodriguez.

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Royals outfielder Alex Gordon has had surgery on his right wrist, and the four-time Gold Glove winner should be ready for the season opener against the White Sox on April 6. The surgery, an extensor retinaculum repair, was performed by Dr. Bruce Toby at the University of Kansas Hospital on Tuesday. It is not yet clear when Gordon will be able to start in spring training. Royals trainer Nick Kenney says in a statement that Gordon reached out to the team about some wrist discomfort last week. Gordon traveled to Kansas City and underwent testing, and the surgery was scheduled immediately so that he would be ready for the upcoming season. Gordon dealt with pain in the same wrist midway through last season but did not miss significant playing time. He aggravated the injury during his winter training sessions.

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Redskins’ coach Jay Gruden vowed there would be changes after a 4-12 season, and the first occurred Wednesday, when the team announced a mutual decision to part ways with embattled defensive coordinator Jim Haslett. Haslett, who had one year left on his contract, finished his fifth season in Washington and first under Gruden. But he had become a lightning rod of the fans' frustration. "Jay and Jim had been talking the last few days. This morning when they were talking they decided it was the best way for both sides," Redskins general manager Bruce Allen said. "I appreciate Coach Haslett's work and what he has done for the Redskins, but I think it was the right decision." Under Haslett, the Redskins' defense has finished a collective 29th in the NFL in total yards and 30th in points per game. This season, the banged-up unit ranked 20th in total yards and 29th in points allowed. Washington suffered injuries to key starters: cornerback DeAngelo Hall, linebacker Brian Orakpo and nose tackle Barry Cofield. A number of other backups also were hurt, including nickel cornerback Tracy Porter, and defense lineman Jason Hatcher, signed in free agency, did not provide the boost needed and eventually wore down from knee injuries. One source of frustration in recent years for Haslett was an inequity in where money was spent on the roster. This past season, for example, the Redskins spent a total of $59,798,367 on 28 offensive players compared to $53,228,545 on 36 defensive players.

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Ravens’ Security Director is accused of groping a woman and pressing up against her at the team's stadium after a December game, according to police and court documents. Charging documents filed in Baltimore City District Court said 48-year-old Darren Sanders is also accused of kissing the 34-year-old woman's neck and attempting to force her to grab his genitals. Ravens senior vice president Kevin Byrne said Wednesday that Sanders has been placed on paid leave, per the NFL's personal conduct policy. He isn't with the team and won't travel to Pittsburgh for the Ravens' playoff game Saturday night.

Sanders' lawyers say he denies the allegations. He had a role in the domestic violence case involving former Ravens running back Ray Rice, who is pursuing a grievance against the team over his release for hitting his then-fiancee in a casino elevator in Atlantic City. Sanders launched the team's investigation of the incident, and Rice's grievance centers on how much the Ravens knew about the situation while the team decided how to punish the player. Rice is seeking to recoup back pay beyond his initial two-game suspension. A person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press the grievance hearing will be held Jan. 15 and 16. The person spoke to the AP on Wednesday night on condition of anonymity because the dates haven't been announced.

The woman worked in security at M&T Bank Stadium and was asked to escort Sanders to his vehicle outside the stadium the same day the Ravens beat the Jaguars on Dec. 14, court and police documents said. Police were called and interviewed the woman several hours after the game ended. A police incident report said the woman said Sanders made several comments to her while they walked together, that he'd seen here around and she "looked very pretty." The woman said he then grabbed her breasts and touched her buttocks, the report said. "He hit and/or groped her buttocks more than once as they walked down the third level hallway," the woman told Baltimore police Sgt. Kerry Snead, who outlined the accusations in court documents. The documents said after the grabbing and other advances, the woman told Sanders to get away from her and walked away, then told several co-workers what had happened. A witness also saw part of their interaction, the documents said. A hearing is set for Feb. 9.

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CAPITALS over BLACKHAWKS 3 to 2

KINGS over CANUCKS 3 to 2

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ISLANDERS over JETS 5 to 2

LIGHTNING over SABRES 5 to 1

RANGERS over PANTHERS 5 to 2

MAPLE LEAFS over BRUINS 4 to 3

PENGUINS over HURRICANES 2 to 1

BLUE JACKETS over WILD 3 to 1

RED WINGS over DEVILS 3 to 1

STARS over COYOTES 6 to 0

SHARKS over DUCKS 3 to 0

AVALANCHE over FLYERS 4 to 3

FLAMES over OILERS 4 to 3

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CANADIENS over PANTHERS 2 to 1

PREDATORS over BLUES 3 to 2

OILERS over KINGS 3 to 2

CANUCKS over SHARKS 3 to 1

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BRUINS over RED WINGS 5 to 2

CANADIENS over HURRICANES 3 to 1

DEVILS over PENGUINS 3 to 1

ISLANDERS over CAPITALS 4 to 3

SENATORS over SABRES 5 to 2

LIGHTNING over MAPLE LEAFS 3 to 2

AVALANCHE over BLUES 3 to 0

WILD over JETS 3 to 2

STARS over RANGERS 3 to 2

BLACKHAWKS over PREDATORS 5 to 4

COYOTES over FLYERS 4 to 2

FLAMES over KINGS 2 to 1

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PANTHERS over MAPLE LEAFS 6 to 4

DUCKS over CANUCKS 2 to 1

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BLUE Jackets over BRUINS 6 to 2

SABRES over ISLANDERS 4 to 3

RED WINGS over SENATORS 3 to 2

LIGHTNING over HURRICANES 2 to 1

RANGERS over DEVILS 3 to 1

JETS over WILD 4 to 3

CAPITALS over PENGUINS 3 to 0

PREDATORS over FLYERS 4 to 1

STARS over BLUES 4 to 3

COYOTES over DUCKS 2 to 1

BLACKHAWKS over AVALANCHE 5 to 2

FLAMES over OILERS 4 to 1

KINGS over SHARKS 3 to 1

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RAVENS over BROWNS 20 to 10

COWBOYS over REDSKINS 44 to 17

COLTS over TITANS 27 to 10

TEXANS over JAGUARS 23 to 17

CHIEFS over CHARGERS 19 to 7

JETS over DOLPHINS 37 to 24

VIKINGS over BEARS 13 to 9

BILLS over PATRIOTS 17 to 9

EAGLES over GIANTS 34 to 26

SAINTS over BUCCANEERS 23 to 20

PANTHERS over FALCONS 34 to 3

PACKERS over LIONS 30 to 20

BRONCOS over RAIDERS 47 to 14

49ERS over CARDINALS 20 to 17

SEAHAWKS over RAMS 20 to 6

STEELERS over BENGALS 27 to 17

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BULLS over NUGGETS 106 to 101

KINGS over TIMBERWOLVES 110 to 107

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CELTICS over KINGS 106 to 84

PACERS over HEAT 106 to 95

CLIPPERS over KNICKS 99 to 78

ROCKETS over HORNETS 102 to 83

BUCKS over CAVALIERS 96 to 80

SPURS over PELICANS 95 to 93

THUNDER over SUNS 137 to 134

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PISTONS over MAGIC 109 to 86

HAWKS over CAVALIERS 109 to 101

NETS over BULLS 96 to 82

GRIZZLIES over SPURS 95 to 87

PELICANS over SUNS 110 to 106

MAVERICKS over WIZARDS 114 to 87

LAKERS over NUGGETS 111 to 103

JAZZ over TIMBERWOLVES 100 to 94

TRAIL BLAZERS over RAPTORS 102 to 97

WARRIORS over 76ERS 126 to 86

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BUCKS over HORNETS 104 to 94

BULLS over PACERS 92 to 90

NETS over KINGS 107 to 99

MAGIC over HEAT 102 to 101

WIZARDS over ROCKETS 104 to 103

CLIPPERS over JAZZ 101 to 97

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PISTONS over CAVALIERS 103 to 80

SPURS over ROCKETS 110 to 106

MAVERICKS over THUNDER 112 to 107

TRAIL BLAZERS over KNICKS 101 to 79

RAPTORS over NUGGETS 116 to 102

SUNS over LAKERS 116 to 107

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RAPTORS over CLIPPERS 110 to 98

MAGIC over HORNETS 102 to 94

WIZARDS over CELTICS 101 to 88

GRIZZLIES over HEAT 103 to 95

BULLS over PELICANS 107 to 100

PACERS over NETS 110 to 85

HAWKS over BUCKS 90 to 85

JAZZ over 76ERS 88 to 71

KINGS over KNICKS 135 to 129

WARRIORS over TIMBERWOLVES 110 to 97

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NETS over CELTICS 109 to 107

CAVALIERS over MAGIC 98 to 89

BUCKS over HAWKS 107 to 77

PISTONS over PACERS 119 to 109

ROCKETS over GRIZZLIES 117 to 111

PELICANS over SPURS 97 to 90

THUNDER over HORNETS 98 to 75

MAVERICKS over LAKERS 102 to 98

NUGGETS over TIMBERWOLVES 106 to 102

TRAIL BLAZERS over 76ERS 114 to 93

SUNS over KINGS 115 to 106

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WIZARDS over KNICKS 102 to 91

THUNDER over SPURS 114 to 106

HEAT over CAVALIERS 101 to 91

BULLS over LAKERS 113 to 93

CLIPPERS over WARRIORS 100 to 86

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The New York Rangers have reached a one-year contract extension with goalie Cam Talbot. The 27-year-old Talbot agreed to a $1.45 million deal for next season. He is earning $575,000 this season. Talbot is 2-3-1 with a 2.34 goals-against average and two shutouts in seven games. He is the only NHL goalie with six starts or fewer to post two shutouts this season. He did it in back-to-back outings against Philadelphia in November. In 28 NHL appearances over two seasons with the Rangers, Talbot is 14-9-2 with a 1.80 GAA and five shutouts. He is one of two players in Rangers history to earn at least five shutouts in his first 24 NHL starts. He was signed by the Rangers as an undrafted free agent in 2010.

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Paul Walther, who played six seasons in the NBA in the 1950s after a stellar college career at Tennessee, has died. He was 87. Son Brian Walther said Tuesday his father died Sunday in an Atlanta hospice. Walther played from 1949-50 to 1954-55 for the Minneapolis Lakers, Indianapolis Olympians, Philadelphia Warriors and Fort Wayne Pistons. He scored more than 2,800 points for his career. He started for the West in the 1952 All-Star game. A native of Covington, Kentucky, Walther led Tennessee to an 18-5 record in 1945 before serving in the Navy during World War II. He returned to Tennessee from 1947-49 and was team captain in his final season. After his NBA career, he worked for Merrill Lynch in Chicago for 32 years.

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L.A. Dodgers have ended the N.Y. Yankees’ 15-year streak as Major League Baseball's biggest spenders and owe more than $26.6 million in luxury tax. The Dodgers finished with a record payroll of $257,283,410, according to final calculations made by Major League Baseball on Friday and obtained by The Associated Press. That is more than $20 million above the previous high, set by the Yankees last year. For the first time since the current luxury tax began in 2003, the Yankees won't be paying the most. The luxury tax was put in place as a slowdown on spending by high-revenue teams, and teams pay based on the amount they are over the $189 million threshold.

The Dodgers owe $26,621,125 based on a $277.7 million payroll for purposes of the tax, which calculates payroll based on the average annual value of contracts for players on the 40-man roster and includes benefits. That raises the team's two-year total to $38 million. Los Angeles, which flopped out of this year's playoffs in the division round and is seeking its first World Series title since 1988, pays the tax at a 30 percent rate because it has gone over the threshold for the second straight year. The Dodgers' rate would increase to 40 percent if they go over in 2015, which is likely.

The Yankees cut their payroll and owe $18.3 million in tax, down from $28.1 million for 2013. New York originally hoped to get under the threshold but wound up more than $36 million over. The Yankees have gone over every year, totaling nearly $271 million. New York pays at a 50 percent rate, the highest called for in baseball's collective bargaining agreement. Checks to the commissioner's office are due by Jan. 21. Tax money is used to fund player benefits and MLB's Industry Growth Fund. Four teams wound up less than $10 million under the threshold: Detroit ($187 million), Philadelphia and Boston ($186 million each), and the L.A. Angels and World Series champion San Francisco ($180 million apiece).

Three of baseball's five-biggest spenders missed the playoffs this year, with the Yankees joined by Philadelphia and Boston. Among the 10 playoff teams, three were in the bottom half by payroll: AL champion Kansas City was 19th, Oakland 23rd and Pittsburgh 27th. The Mets' regular payroll of $92.9 million was the teams lowest since $93.1 million in 2001 and $82.2 million in 2000. MLB calculated the average salary at $3,692,123, up 11 percent from 2013 for the steepest increase since 2001. The players' association has not yet released its final 2014 average.

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Reliever Jordan Walden and the Cardinals have agreed to a $6.6 million, two-year contract that avoided salary arbitration. The 27-year-old right-hander gets a $350,000 signing bonus and salaries of $2.5 million next year and $3.5 million in 2016 as part of Tuesday's deal. The Cardinals have a $5.25 million option for 2017 with a $250,000 buyout. Walden was obtained by the Cardinals from Atlanta with outfielder Jason Heyward on Nov. 17 for pitchers Shelby Miller and Tyrell Jenkins. Walden made $1.49 million last season, when he was 0-2 with a 2.88 ERA and three saves as a setup man for closer Craig Kimbrel. Walden has appeared in 50 or more games in three of the past four seasons and has a 12-13 career record with a 3.10 ERA, 38 saves and 254 strikeouts in 211 2-3 innings. He was an AL All-Star in 2011, when he had 32 saves for the L. A. Angels.

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Sergio Romo tested free agency, had some offers and decided he wanted to stay put in San Francisco, pitching for the only major league organization he has known. The animated reliever finalized a $15 million, two-year contract with the Giants on Monday, who kept a key component that has been part of three championship runs. "When it comes to professional baseball, this has been my home," Romo said. "I'm very thankful for every opportunity that I've gotten. This was a place I was able to make a name for myself. This is the only organization I know." The right-hander could earn an additional $500,000 annually in performance bonuses based on games finished as part of the agreement

The 31-year-old Romo has spent all seven of his big league seasons with San Francisco, winning titles in 2010, '12 and this year. He went 6-4 with a 3.72 ERA with 23 saves in 64 outings this past season as San Francisco earned the wild card and went on to beat Kansas City in a seven-game World Series. "All in all, I really wanted to stay home. I wanted to stay here," Romo said. "I don't really see myself wearing another uniform."

"He's meant so much to our success," manager Bruce Bochy said. "So much is talked about with our bullpen. Whether setting up or closing, I thought it was important for our team, for our bullpen. Sergio knows all of us, we know him, there's a sense of comfort there. We know what we're getting, a very good pitcher who's comfortable pitching late in the ballgame. I can't say enough about how he carried himself this year. I know we made a switch there. He was all about winning."

"Sergio's resume speaks for itself, what he's done for us in high-leverage situations has been a key to our bullpen at the end of the game," general manager Brian Sabean said. "As we reviewed our needs going into the offseason, we very much wanted to keep our bullpen together. Bringing Sergio back, I think we've accomplished that."

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Darryl Strawberry did the work, but now you can collect his money from the New York Mets. The Internal Revenue Service is auctioning off the remaining annuity from the deferred compensation Strawberry agreed to when he signed a six-year contract with the Mets almost 30 years ago. The total value of the contract, which covered his 1985 through 1990 seasons, was $7.1 million, but nearly 40 percent of his $1.8 million team option in 1990 ($700,000) was deferred and put into an annuity with a 5.1 percent annual interest rate. On Jan. 20, the IRS will auction off the right to collect what will amount to roughly $1.28 million paid by Sterling Mets LP, parent company of the Mets, in 223 monthly installments, assuming a realistic sale close date of May 1. As this sale is required through the court system, the winning bid, which cannot be less than $550,000, has to be approved by a judge before the buyer starts collecting.

How a fan could even buy what was originally due to the Mets slugger is a complicated story. Strawberry was forced to give a portion of the deferred money account to his wife, Charisse, as part of their divorce settlement in 2006, but the payments were never made. In 2010, his ex-wife filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection and, as part of the proceedings, asked for what was owed. But in September of this year, a judge in the Northern District of Florida ruled that the annuity was the property of the IRS, not Charisse, because Darryl still had not settled his tax debt owed for 1989, 1990, 2003 and 2004. From 1987 to 1990, Strawberry failed to pay $542,572 in taxes, according to court documents. As of November 2013, Strawberry owed at least $80,000 from his tax liability from missed payments in 2003 and 2004. "Seizure and sale is the last thing we at the IRS want to do," said Michael Devine, spokesman for the IRS' division of Property Appraisal and Liquidation Specialists. "This happens when a person doesn't dispute that they owe the money but can't or won't liquidate the property." It was common practice for the Mets to defer money in contracts. The Mets famously bought out the final year of Devine said, in this case, it has reached the point of a judge requiring the IRS to sell what was originally owed to Strawberry in his contract.

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BRUINS over PREDATORS 5 to 3

MAPLE LEAFS over STARS 4 to 0

CANADIENS over ISLANDERS 3 to 1

HURRICANES over DEVILS 2 to 1

RANGERS over CAPITALS 4 to 2

FLYERS over WILD 5 to 2

RED WINGS over SABRES 6 to 3

LIGHTNING over PENGUINS 4 to 3

AVALANCHE over BLUES 5 to 0

COYOTES over OILERS 5 to 1

JETS over BLACKHAWKS 5 to 1

CAPITALS over SENATORS 2 to 1

PREDATORS over BLUE JACKETS 5 to 1

PANTHERS over PENGUINS 4 to 3

CANUCKS over COYOTES 7 to 1

DUCKS over SHARKS 3 to 2

FLAMES over KINGS 4 to 3