Each year at MLB's winter meetings, the spotlight is on the players, the agents and the general managers. Trade buzz and free agent signings -- we're talking about you, Juan Soto, and all you starting pitchers -- dominate the headlines.

But the event is also an opportunity for the managers of all 30 teams to gather under one roof. Last week, as baseball's skippers descended upon Dallas, we asked a handful of them questions about MLB's rule changes, the playoff format, their most feared opposing hitter and more.

Here is what they had to say.

If it were your call, what would MLB's next major rule change be?

Dave Martinez, Washington Nationals: It definitely won't be the golden [at-]bat. I like where the game is at right now, I really do. First with all the new rule changes, it took a minute, but definitely baseball is heading in the right direction.

Ron Washington, Los Angeles Angels: Give the pitchers all the time they need to make pitches. And I'd also like to get rid of that three-times-throwing-over-to-first-base junk. ... Experienced pitchers can handle [the pitch clock] after they see what's got to be done. But I think it just affects the young pitchers.

Derek Shelton, Pittsburgh Pirates: I think I would go to some sort of challenge -- something that we've talked about with the strike zone, like we've tried in the minor leagues.

A.J. Hinch, Detroit Tigers: I think we've nailed the rules as an industry. ... Naturally, we're going to resist any sort of change or any sort of newness to the history of the game and things like that, but I haven't heard or seen hardly any complaints.

Bruce Bochy, Texas Rangers: Just like us, me as a manager, or players, we're always looking to get better. So you always are looking for ways you can make the game better. Tinkering a little bit is fine, but you have to draw a line somewhere.

How do you feel about MLB's current expanded playoff format after seeing it for multiple seasons?

Brandon Hyde, Baltimore Orioles: I like the multiple games for the wild card. I think that's better. I think the format is an improvement.

Washington: The teams that run away with the division and win their division big time -- we gotta find a way to keep them active. Because if the other playoffs go the distance, they're sitting long. It affected us pretty good [in Atlanta]. This year, I think it affected Cleveland.

Shelton: I like it. I think it provides a lot of excitement. I think anything we can do to have more teams having meaningful games in September is important for the game.

Rocco Baldelli, Minnesota Twins: I think it's working well. I'm in favor of it, and I think it's been good for the game. I think having a somewhat expanded format makes it competitive for basically the vast majority of the league, who are playing meaningful games as the season goes on.

Matt Quatraro, Kansas City Royals: I don't give a lot of thought to the big, grand scheme of how it's laid out. I like to be in it. I've been on the other side of that too when I was with Tampa and we lost the two games in Cleveland in that wild card. It's tough. In baseball, it's win or go home right out of the gate unless you win the division. So that puts a premium on winning the division. I think that's great. But I like the fact that it's expanded.

Terry Francona, Cincinnati Reds: The one thing I wish they were able to change is ... you're seeing too much bullpen games in the playoffs. That's not the way teams are really built. Now, I would like to see after 162 games, I would like to see teams have to use their entire roster. I think you would find the true best teams that way. Not just maybe teams that are top-heavy with a couple of good pitchers and with days off you can throw your bullpen. I mean, I get it. They're competing. I'm not saying they're wrong to do it. Just don't think that's the way our game is built.

Which opposing hitter do you least want to face with the game on the line?

Hyde: There's so many. [Shohei] Ohtani, Soto, [Aaron] Judge, [Mookie] Betts, Yordan Alvarez. Wrap them all up. I don't want to face any of them.

Washington: Mookie Betts -- because he bust my ass many times.

Shelton: I would probably still say Soto -- just because of the quality of the at-bat, and you have to throw strikes. He can do damage in a bunch of different places, but he makes you throw the ball over the plate.

Baldelli: This isn't rocket science -- it's Judge. I just would not want to face Judge. He's just that good.

Which pitcher -- not on your squad -- would you most want to hand the ball to with your season on the line?

Hyde: I'll give you a few. [Tarik] Skubal for sure. Can I go with a reliever? [Emmanuel] Clase. And [Zack] Wheeler.

Washington: Max Scherzer. Gritty. Never gives in.

Shelton: Probably Corbin Burnes. Maybe a little biased, just because I've seen him so much in the Central over the last couple years, but just the ability to execute pitches.

Baldelli: It's probably Skubal. I have a really tough time saying anybody but Skubal.

Who -- besides you -- is the best manager in baseball?

Washington: Bruce Bochy -- because he can manage a bullpen. Oh, and Terry Francona. Those two guys can manage a bullpen.

Shelton: With Tito [Francona] back, it's hard not to say Tito, but Kevin Cash.

Baldelli: Because I also know him, played for him, I think Tito's the one that I would have to say -- because of the way that he gets the most out of all of his people. He makes people feel like they can do anything, and then they go out there and they actually do it, over and over again.

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour was presented with the state's highest honor by Gov. Roy Cooper after Sunday's 4-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Brind'Amour received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, which is given to people who have made significant contributions to the state and their community.

"I went into the locker room after the game and told the players that this guy wouldn't want me to do what I was about to do because this guy is all about his players and all about team," Cooper said.

Cooper was in the Hurricanes' locker room prior to the game to read the starting lineup before returning amid the postgame celebration. The 67-year-old Cooper has long been a supporter of the Hurricanes and frequently attends home games.

"What he has meant to North Carolina is extraordinary, both as a player, as a coach, as a parent, involvement in youth hockey," Cooper said. "When you think about all of the jobs the Carolina Hurricanes have brought to North Carolina and their success. ... This guy has created a culture of winning."

Brind'Amour is in his seventh season as Carolina's coach. He also played for 10 years in Carolina, serving as captain of the franchise's only Stanley Cup championship team in 2006.

"It's not about me," Brind'Amour said. "We've got such a good group. I was a part of a group of great people all along."

Cooper has previously presented the Order of the Long Leaf Pine to retired Duke men's basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski. Cooper said he'll present the honor to former North Carolina men's basketball coach Roy Williams next week.

Cooper, a Democrat, is finishing his second four-year term as governor. He was prevented from seeking reelection because of term limits.

Cooper had a suggestion for Brind'Amour, saying "Coach, it's time to get that Stanley Cup this time."

Carolina's one Stanley Cup title was won with Peter Laviolette behind the bench.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Club América is the first in Liga MX's short-format era to earn three consecutive titles after a 1-1 draw with Monterrey sealed a 3-2 aggregate win in the two-legged 2024 Apertura final, extending their league-leading tally of championships to 16.

The win marks the third-straight crown for América after winning the 2023 Apertura and the 2024 Clausura.

Heading into Monterrey's Estadio BBVA Bancomer on Sunday with a 2-1 advantage in hand from the first leg, América did well to absorb pressure before their attack took charge. Following an 18th minute goal from captain Henry Martin that was called offside, the visitors broke the early deadlock thanks to a stunning long-range goal from Richard Sanchez in the 24th minute.

In response, Martin Demichelis' Monterrey struggled to create enough danger and get any shot past opposing goalkeeper Luis Malagon.

Despite América gradually dropping its intensity and losing Martin to an injury that forced a 42nd minute substitution, Monterrey headed into the half-time break trailing 1-0 and needing to score at least twice to overcome the 3-1 aggregate scoreline.

With the lead in hand, América coach Andre Jardine focused on a pragmatic and cautious style of play in the second half. Employing a 5-3-2 formation, he was able to get plenty of numbers behind the ball, and Las Aguilas were impressive with their defensive efforts that stifled Demichelis' more attack-minded approach.

Although some tactical alterations from Monterrey provided a late 85th minute goal from substitute Johan Rojas, and a shot that hit the woodwork in the 88th, Los Rayados fell just short and their consolation goal that wasn't enough to equalize the two-legged final against Club America.

By the final whistle -- after six minutes of injury time -- Jardine's side secured the 3-2 aggregate result and Apertura title.

América now have a four-championship cushion over rivals Chivas (12) in the league's all-time table. Jardine, who took over at the club in 2023, has now guided América to three consecutive Liga MX trophies, won the Campeon de Campeones and the Campeones Cup in 2024.

América has won six of its16 league titles since 2013.

Next year, América seeks to maintain its trophy while also taking part in the Concacaf Champions Cup, Leagues Cup and Campeones Cup.

Monterrey, which is 10th in Liga MX's all-time table with five trophies, will also take part in the Concacaf Champions Cup, Leagues Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.

Liga MX president Mikel Arriola said on Sunday that the Leagues Cup will adopt a new format in 2025, eliminating the month-long pause for the competition and opting instead for mid-week matches.

"We just approved the new Leagues Cup format. We're no longer going to hold camps there [in the USA]. We'll play midweek so Mexican teams don't struggle, and Liga MX games will be played on the weekends," said Arriola before the Liga MX final in Monterrey, Mexico.

The 2023 and 2024 editions of Leagues Cup forced Liga MX and MLS to pause regular season action in the summer for one month as teams faced each other. Mexican teams traveled across the United States, with a few enjoying "hub privileges" in certain cities, while MLS teams played at home.

Sources told ESPN that Mexican teams voiced concerns over yet another interruption by the inter-league tournament, actively demanding a change for 2025. Now, the upcoming edition of the competition will see all Liga MX and 18 MLS teams participate in mid-week matches throughout the summer.

Though the MLS participants have yet to be officially announced, certain teams like Inter Miami CF independently confirmed their involvement in the 2025 edition.

MLS leads Liga MX in Leagues Cup champions, after Inter Miami lifted the inaugural trophy in 2023 and the Columbus Crew triumphed against LAFC in 2024.

In addition to the trophy, the final two teams and winner of the third-place match earn prize money as well as places in the next edition of the Concacaf Champions Cup.

DETROIT -- The Detroit Lions' defense lost three key contributors to likely season-ending injuries in Sunday's 48-42 loss to the Buffalo Bills, including cornerback Khalil Dorsey who had to be carted off the field in a scary scene inside Ford Field.

Starting defensive tackle Alim McNeill was also ruled out with a knee injury after missing the second half of last Thursday's game vs. Green Bay with a concussion. Cornerback Carlton Davis III was downgraded to out with a jaw injury at the start of the second half as well.

After the game, Lions head coach Dan Campbell said Dorsey will be out for the season, while McNeill and Davis are also likely out for the year. Campbell said he didn't "feel good about either one of those guys" returning, in reference to McNeill and Davis, but noted the team will know more on Monday.

"Normally if I'm like saying I don't feel good, that means it's not good for the rest of the year," Campbell said. "So, I don't feel good about it."

McNeill signed a four-year extension earlier this season and had helped stabilize Detroit's defensive line after Aidan Hutchinson went down with a fractured tibia and fibula in October.

Dorsey went down and had to be carted off the field near the end of the first half. Members of both the Lions and Bills rushed to his side after he went down. Dorsey appeared to get injured after his leg collided with the leg of teammate Ezekiel Turner near the line of scrimmage. Dorsey was officially ruled out with an ankle injury as the Lions trailed 21-14 with 1:53 remaining in the second quarter.

Davis exited the field after a helmet-to-helmet collision at 13:36 in the second quarter to be evaluated for a concussion. He was listed as questionable to return with a jaw injury before being ruled out.

The Lions currently have 13 defensive players on the injured reserve list outside of this latest trio of injuries.

DENVER -- Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor crossed the goal line and broke into a happy dance to celebrate his apparent 41-yard touchdown. Then he made his way to the sideline, where the celebration continued.

Then it all stopped abruptly.

Taylor's would-be score, which would have given the Colts a two-TD lead in their critical matchup with the Denver Broncos, was under review and, ultimately, overturned, when officials ruled he let go of the football before the ball crossed the goal line.

The ball subsequently went out of bounds in the end zone, which was, by rule, a touchback. The Colts (6-8) never recovered from it, with Denver (9-5) scoring the final 24 points of the game and strengthening its playoff position with a 31-13 victory.

"It just can't happen, no matter the game, no matter the scenario," Taylor said later. "You could be up by 50, down by 50, playoff game, first game of the season. That should never happen."

Taylor said he was unaware what had happened until well after the play had ended.

"I didn't know until they started saying they're reviewing it," he said. "I'm thinking, 'Why are they reviewing it?'"

Taylor's play was emblematic of a game that featured an unending parade of mistakes for the Colts, all of it leading to a loss that put them in a difficult spot in the AFC playoff race. The Colts committed five turnovers, had eight penalties and suffered some key lapses in punt coverage that resulted in points for the Broncos.

"Sometimes, someone gives you their best and your best just wasn't good enough," Taylor said. "But when you hurt yourself like that, that one hurts."

The Colts were trying to close the gap between themselves and the Broncos for the seventh and final postseason berth in the conference. Instead, the Broncos moved into the sixth spot and the Colts remain in eighth, now two games behind the seventh-place Los Angeles Chargers. Indianapolis hasn't made the playoffs since 2020.

As for Taylor's fumble, even the Broncos were befuddled.

"That was significant," Denver coach Sean Payton said. "I don't get it. I'm not going to try to ... You go from breaking a long touchdown run for your team to us having the ball."

Broncos safety Brandon Jones, who failed to stop Taylor on the play, felt some relief.

"I took a bad angle, didn't get him on the ground," he said. "So, I was upset with myself. And then to see that happen after the fact was a good thing. Big momentum swing."

The other play of note for the Colts was a trick gone awry that resulted in a 50-yard Broncos touchdown.

With 12:29 remaining and the Broncos leading 17-13, Colts coach Shane Steichen called for quarterback Anthony Richardson to lateral across the field to wide receiver Adonai Mitchell, who then attempted to lateral back to Richardson. But Mitchell's decision backfired when linebacker Nik Bonitto read the play and stepped in front of Richardson to intercept the ball. As a lateral, the play was ruled a fumble, and Bonitto's ensuing score was technically a fumble recovery.

"I don't think he saw the guy, to be completely honest," Steichen said of Mitchell. If the throwback was not available, Steichen said, the instructions to Mitchell were to "throw it away."

"We repped that play all week, and it was great," Steichen said. "It looked great all week."

However, the Colts' imperfect execution might have tipped off the Broncos that something was afoot.

"It was kind of a slow-developing play, so I knew something was weird," Bonitto said. "Once I saw Richardson drifting back a little bit, I decided to go try and break on it."

PHILADELPHIA -- Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts said he is dealing with a broken finger on his non-throwing hand, and that it did affect him Sunday against the Steelers -- but he still did enough to elevate a slumping passing game and move the team past a week of drama for their franchise-record 10th consecutive win.

"So that's what you all wanted to see, huh?" Hurts asked as he sat down for his postgame news conference following Philadelphia's 27-13 win.

It was definitely what receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith wanted to see. Both voiced their frustrations about the passing game following last week's narrow win over the Carolina Panthers in which Hurts finished with just 108 yards through the air -- the third consecutive week he was held under 180 yards.

Brown's comments that "passing" was the issue on offense and that there was little sideline communication with Hurts to get things fixed led to Brandon Graham's assertion that Hurts and Brown were no longer close like they once were. That set off a media firestorm that consumed much of the week.

Brown said he and Hurts "did let the team know that we're on the same page and nothing's wrong or anything like that."

Inside the Eagles practice facility, Smith said a lot of "tough" and "uncomfortable" conversations were had. Brown spoke of extra meetings between players and coaches that emphasized improving details and communication in the passing game.

All that helped fuel a highly efficient passing performance, with Hurts going 25-of-32 for 290 yards with a pair of touchdowns.

Brown and Smith each went over 100 yards, marking the fourth time they've achieved the feat and setting a new record for the most such games by a duo in Eagles history.

"The approach was a little different this week. The grass will be green where you water it and we decided to water [the pass game], and you kind of saw the fruits of our labor in that," Hurts said.

Hurts and Brown connected for a 5-yard touchdown pass late in the first quarter to put Philadelphia up 10-3. They then broke into a choreographed dance celebration.

"That was our moment to tell everybody to shut up," Brown said.

Hurts injured the ring finger on his left hand last Sunday against the Panthers and was listed as a full participant on the injury report throughout the week. He wore a glove on his left hand against the Steelers, which is not his common practice.

Hurts did lose a fumble when T.J. Watt punched the ball out on a first-quarter scramble, but otherwise played a clean game.

"I can say I don't think it got any worse today," Hurts said of the finger. "If it's shattered, it's shattered. It is what it is."

The Eagles improved to 12-2 and moved into a virtual tie with Detroit for the top seed in the NFC after the Lions fell to the Buffalo Bills.

The defense continued to outperform expectations while the offense showed it is capable of getting the job done in a variety of ways on a night when Saquon Barkley (19 carries, 65 yards) was largely held in check.

"We know what the end goal is, especially me, DeVonta and Jalen ... We're trying to get to the end and we're trying to finish," Brown said. "It's good we won 10 games but we're not satisfied with that, honestly. In our minds, we haven't done nothing. That's our mindset. It's easy for us to have these tough conversations to call each other out because we know what we want at the end. It makes it easier when we're close."