The Kansas City Royals reportedly agreed to extend left-handed starting pitcher Danny Duffy on Monday. 

The two sides reached a deal on a five-year, $65 million contract. Duffy passed his physical, and the team officially announced the transaction early Monday afternoon. 

Duffy has been in the Royals' organization since being drafted by them in 2007 and was on their World Series winning squad in 2015.

The Miami Marlins have signed right-handed starting pitcher Edinson Volquez on Monday, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald first reported.

According to Barry Jackson, also of the Miami Herald, the two sides have agreed to a two-year, $22 million contract. 

The Rangers were the only other team that reportedly showed interest in Volquez during his free agency. The Kansas City Royals declined his $10 million option in favor of a $3 million buyout. 

After a small lull in free agent signings, the Marlins and Volquez have struck a deal even with the current Collective Bargaining Agreement set to expire on Thursday. With lots yet to be decided in the long-term, it appears that many have decided to wait before making big moves.

Regardless, the Marlins decided to make a late-November addition to their rotation. As a group, they posted the ninth-highest fWAR in the Major Leagues in 2016, so an addition makes sense, not even considering the tragic loss of Jose Fernandez. Going forward, Volquez will fit in the rotation alongside Wei-Yin Chen, David Phelps, Adam Conley and Tom Koehler. 

Volquez, on the other hand, seemed to do well in this contract. MLBTradeRumors.com projected him to earn a one-year, $8 million deal, so going off of that, he not only earned more money per year but more money on the total guarantee.

The 33-year-old Volquez has spent the last three seasons with the Royals and did post some very good results in 2014 and 2015 before falling far off the table in 2016. 

Last year, he made 34 starts, going 10-11 with a 5.37 ERA and a 139-76 K/BB ratio over 189.1 innings. Posting solid peripherals (4.57 FIP, 4.58 xFIP), Volquez still provided some value, and according to FanGraphs, he was worth 1.5 Wins Above Replacement. 

The Marlins hope, though, that Volquez can return to his 2015 form, when he posted a 3.55 ERA and a 2.6 fWAR while helping the Royals capture the World Series championship. 

--Devan Fink

The Toronto Blue Jays have signed designated hitter Kendrys Morales on Friday, as Christopher Meola first reported. 

Morales' deal is over three years and is worth $33 million, according to the report. 

The Blue Jays likely made a play for Morales knowing that Edwin Encarnacion may not return to the team in free agency this offseason. Still, though, they could have room for him at first base, making a deal for Morales a win-win. 

This offseason could prove to be crucial for the future of the organization, as, in addition to Encarnacion, outfielder Jose Bautista became a free agent. Those two represented the heart of the Jays' batting order and very well may end up elsewhere next year. 

That resulted in the team looking for offense early in the free agent market, leading them to the power bat they signed today in Morales. Over the past three seasons, no team has scored more runs than the Blue Jays. They have--at least recently--always focused their team around their offense. 

The 33-year-old Morales has had something resembling a revival since joining the Kansas City Royals in 2015. 

Last year, the Cuban native hit for a .263/.327/.468 slash line with 30 home runs and 93 RBI over 618 plate appearances (110 wRC+). According to FanGraphs, he was worth 0.7 Wins Above Replacement. 

For his career, Morales has hit .273/.331/.465 with 162 home runs and 586 RBI over 4,077 plate appearances spanning 10 seasons. 

--Devan Fink

Kansas City Royals right-handed starter Edinson Volquez wants to return to the team in 2017, he told Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star Wednesday. 

Volquez told Dodd that he is considering exercising his side of a mutual option but that he will "huddle" with his agent at the end of the World Series to make a final decision. He is planning on looking at the market and weighing his option. 

The Royals signed Volquez to a two-year, $20 million deal during the 2014-15 offseason that included the aforementioned mutual option for 2017. It is valued at $10 million with a $3 million buyout. Both sides would need to pick up the option for it to vest. 

Despite not having the best season statistically, it is possible that Volquez would be able to earn more than the $10 million his is due to make with the option on the open market. The starting pitching this offseason is thin, which increases the likelihood that he gets a long-term deal from another team. 

This season, Volquez is 10-11 with a 5.25 ERA and a 133-68 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 181 2/3 innings pitched. He has posted a 4.47 FIP and a 4.43 xFIP, according to FanGraphs, and he has been worth 1.6 Wins Above Replacement. 

--Devan Fink

The Kansas City Royals are working on a new contract with catcher Salvador Perez, Jon Heyman of MLB Network and Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reported. 

Perez, 25, is signed to an extremely team-friendly contract. 

Signed in February of 2012, Perez was guaranteed $7 million over five seasons. When he signed the deal, Perez had just 39 games of Major League experience. This made the contract a possible risk for the Royals if Perez did not pan out. 

In reality, Kansas City has reaped the benefits of locking Perez up early. 

Perez has hit .279/.306/.431 with 65 home runs and 279 RBIs in parts of five seasons with the club, amassing 11.9 FanGraphs Wins Above Replacement. He led the team to the 2015 World Series title, hitting for a .845 OPS in 64 plate appearances. 

Next season, Perez is scheduled to make $2 million. Then, he has team options for 2017 ($3.75 million), 2018 ($5 million), and 2019 ($6 million). If Perez does want to make more money in a new contract, it is possible he will have to give up free agent seasons, or years after his current contract has expired.
 
When Flanagan asked about the new contract, Perez was blunt. 

"I don't care. I'll just play hard and keep my concentration and help my teammates. [And] try to get back to the World Series," he said.

--Devan Fink