On the heels of a week that included trading closer Jim Johnson and watching two coveted players sign elsewhere, Baltimore general manager Dan Duquette finds himself in a precarious position at the Winter Meetings.

After one of the craziest weeks ever before the Winter Meetings, the front offices of 30 Major League teams traveled to Florida, and the inventory of players available through free agency or trades remains intriguing and teams still have glaring holes to fill.

The Nationals are looking to acquire a middle infielder, but, according to a baseball source, they are going to give Danny Espinosa every chance to make the team as a backup infielder.

The Nationals are looking for a backup catcher. A baseball source said the Nats have interest in catcher John Buck, who hit a combined .219 with 15 home runs and 62 RBIs for the Mets and Pirates in 2013.

The Nationals’ top priority during the Winter Meetings is to improve their bullpen from the left side. They continue to have interest in several lefties — Oliver Perez, J.P. Howell, Boone Logan and Scott Downs, according to a baseball source.

With their busiest work week of the offseason seemingly behind them, the A’s appear to have little to do at the Winter Meetings. But general manager Billy Beane, who swung four separate deals in two days last week, could easily strike again.

The Dodgers will add former Cy Young Award winner Orel Hershiser and Alanna Rizzo to the broadcast team for next year’s debut of the SportsNet LA network, according to the Los Angeles Times.

What wild ride awaits baseball’s moguls, movers and shakers and media at the annual Winter Meetings at the Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin Resort? The Royals’ contingent checked in on Sunday to regenerate the team’s search for an impact bat and perhaps another starting pitcher for the 2014 season.

One of the most aggressive teams in baseball so far this offseason — having traded All-Star Prince Fielder and postseason starter Doug Fister, the Tigers now head to the forum where they have traditionally been their busiest: the Winter Meetings.

The Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin Resort is an 87-acre, lakefront behemoth, complete with 17 restaurants, 2,267 guest rooms and four 60,000-pound concrete statues depicting the animals within its name. Somewhere in there, the Angels may find a pitcher.

The Pirates reached the postseason for the first time since 1992 this past season, and now they’re going to Disney World — that is, to work toward doing it again in 2014. The Bucs are headed to baseball’s annual Winter Meetings, which begin Monday.

The Tribe’s brass has convened at the Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin Resort, where the club will continue to build on the groundwork that has been laid in early offseason talks. Over the next four days at the Winter Meetings, Cleveland will explore ways to improve a roster that won the AL’s top Wild Card spot in 2013.

When the Braves entered the offseason, it was apparent securing a starting pitcher and attempting to trade Dan Uggla would be the club’s primary objectives. General manager Frank Wren hopes to address these desires at the Winter Meetings.

There will be splashy signings and trades at the Winter Meetings, but it is often the smaller moves that ultimately have the biggest impacts on teams’ postseason fortunes.

Three of the greatest managers of their generation — Bobby Cox, Joe Torre and Tony La Russa — headline a blockbuster 12-man National Baseball Hall of Fame ballot under consideration by the Expansion Era Committee. Results of the voting by the 16-member committee will be announced on Monday at 10 a.m. ET.

The Yankees have reached an agreement with Hiroki Kuroda, bringing the right-hander back to the Bronx with a one-year, $16 million contract.

The Yankees know they have needs to fill, but they are announcing that they have money to spend and are open for business, which could create some terrific shopping opportunities when baseball’s Winter Meetings kick off next week in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.