Recapping the first day of baseball's Winter Meetings

SAN DIEGO - The Orioles are looking for outfielders via trade and the free agent market. The Nationals are mum about their plans for finding a second baseman. And, generally across both leagues, the action is slow. Big-name players going in the trade could define these Winter Meetings, and the dealings will start after lefty Jon Lester decides where he's going to play. He could return to Boston or sign with the Cubs and renew his relationship with former Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein, the Cubs' president. Or he could end up being a dangerous one-two lefty combination with San Francisco's Madison Bumgarner or the Los Angeles Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw. After Lester decides, that will open the door for free agents Max Scherzer and James Shields, the next big-name free agent pitchers on the list. And if teams don't want to sign either of those guys, then it is possible pitchers like Cole Hamels, David Price, Jeff Samardzija and Ian Kennedy could be had via trade. And it's not just pitchers on the block. The Braves are willing to trade either outfielder Justin Upton or catcher Evan Gattis. The Dodgers want to get rid of an outfield glut and trade either Matt Kemp or Carl Crawford, with the San Diego Padres interested in Kemp. Other news and notes from the first day in sunny San Diego: * Outfielder Tony Oliva and first baseman Dick Allen had a disappointing Monday when each finished a vote short of making the Hall of Fame. The vote was by the Golden Era Committee, a 16-member panel made up of executives, Hall of Fame players and baseball writers. Richard Allen, Dick's son, said he was "numbed" by the vote, but that his dad knows that he can on the same field as those enshrined in Cooperstown. ... Allen was a seven-time All-Star with Philadelphia and the Chicago White Sox as well as a National League Rookie of the Year and the American League MVP and home run champ in 1972. Oliva had a .313 career average, led by the AL in hits five times and won three batting titles. He was an AL MVP runner-up twice, including 1970 when he finished second to the Orioles' Boog Powell. * Cleveland's acquisition of outfielder/first baseman Brandon Moss didn't create much buzz at the meetings, but it might next season. The Indians scored three or fewer runs in half their games last year, but their young rotation - Cory Kluber, Trevor Bauer, T.J. House, Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar - had a 2.05 ERA after the All-Star break, second only to the Nationals. If the Indians improve their offense, they're likely going to be a force next season. * Arizona signed Cuban outfielder Yasmany Tomas to a $68.5 million deal for six years, but the Diamondbacks aren't sure where he's going to play. He could start in the minors, or he could play third base. If third doesn't work, he could move to the outfield and that might make power-hitting Mark Trumbo available in a trade. "We hope not," D-Backs president Tony La Russa says. "We like Trumbo a lot. Tomas is a special talent, and we want to do what's right by him." * La Russa is a Hall of Fame manager who is seeing management's side of baseball for the first time. He says he's tripled his respect for front office personnel because of the time and demands the job takes. He says as president, he's removed from the action on the field and that adjustment is scary. * Jack McKeon, who managed the Florida Marlins to the 2003 World Series title at 72, is 84 and says he wants to manage again when he turns 87. The reason: He wants to beat Connie Mack as the oldest manager baseball history. "I work out two hours a day and I have plenty of energy, so I know I can do it," says McKeon, who has managed five teams to a combined 1,051 wins. Mack managed 53 seasons, including 50 with the Philadelphia Athletics and was 87 during his final season in 1950. * Kansas City manager Ned Yost says that pitcher Brandon Finnegan, who pitched in the World Series and College World Series last season, will be stretched out in spring training with the possibility that he could be a starter next season. Yost said that after losing Game 7 of the World Series by a run, he thought he'd be able to enjoy the accomplishment a couple of weeks after the game, "But that still hasn't happened." ... Mets manager Terry Collins says he's tired of asking fans to be patient, so he's predicting his team will contend in 2015. And pitcher Matt Harvey, recovering from Tommy John surgery, will be a pain when Collins asks him to take it easy or to miss a game to keep his arm sound. "There's going to be a fight," Collins says. ... Cincinnati manager Bryan Price says that rookie outfielder Billy Hamilton lived up to expectations in 2014. Price had backup plans in case Hamilton didn't work out, but said he never had to use the plans. When Hamilton understands strike-zone command better, he'll improve quickly, Price says. ... Minnesota manager Paul Molitor was asked about new-age statistics that say Twins outfielder Torii Hunter has lost ground defensively. Molitor said he didn't care about what the range stats say and that he'll take Hunter's experience any day.