Tuesday was such a busy day for free agent signings and trades around baseball, one website asked what many major league beat writers were probably thinking: “Who needs the Winter Meetings”?

For the Dodgers at least, next week could be a productive one. The Brian Wilson deal isn’t official yet, despite reports that he passed his physical. Assuming that contract has been signed by the time Dodgers officials land in Orlando, Florida, here’s what will top the to-do list:

1. A third baseman. General manager Ned Colletti is still hoping to bring back Juan Uribe, who is reportedly seeking a three-year contract. If the Dodgers are willing to go to a third year, there must still be a gap in dollar figures being exchanged by the two sides. Maybe they can overcome their differences in a week. Maybe not. If the Dodgers aren’t ready to commit to Hanley Ramirez as their third baseman for 2014, they might be best suited to resolve the position via trade if Uribe signs elsewhere. The free-agent crop at third base is really that thin.

2. A left-handed reliever. The Dodgers have a nice stable of right-handers among Kenley Jansen, Wilson, Chris Withrow, Brandon League and Jose Dominguez. Other than Paco Rodriguez, who petered out around the time of his 66th appearance in 2013, they don’t have a single established lefty reliever who will be healthy to start next season. (Scott Elbert underwent Tommy John surgery in June.) Re-signing J.P. Howell seems like the logical move, even if he is seeking a three-year contract. At age 30, Howell is a less risky investment than, say, Randy Choate, who was 37 when the Dodgers wouldn’t give him a three-year contract at this time last year. Javier Lopez raised the market value by signing a 3-year, $13 million deal to stay in San Francisco and Howell’s numbers are comparable. If the Dodgers can’t re-sign Howell, they may turn to a veteran such as Scott Downs on a shorter-term deal.

3. A bench. After losing Skip Schumaker and Nick Punto as free agents, the Dodgers lost arguably the two most proven quantities on their bench. Backup catcher Tim Federowicz, first baseman/outfielder Scott Van Slyke, outfielder Mike Baxter and whatever-he’s-playing-these-days Dee Gordon are all in line for bench jobs. The Dodgers would like to bring in another infielder as insurance if Alexander Guerrero isn’t ready to be the everyday second baseman. They could also shake up the equation by accepting trade offer for Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier or Carl Crawford.

Some bullet points to tide you through the weekend:

• Ronald Belisario‘s Twitter profile indicates that he is now a pitcher for the Chicago White Sox.

• Hiroki Kuroda re-signed with the Yankees for one year and $16 million.

• The high spin rate on Yimi Garcia‘s fastball might be responsible for his high strikeout rate.

• In the morning’s big news, Robinson Cano is a Seattle Mariner. His contract reportedly pays $240 million over 10 years with a full no-trade clause.

• As part of the Dodgers’ Holiday Tour, Steve Garvey and Fernando Valenzuela will hold an autograph session tomorrow at Westfield Santa Anita. Valenzuela will sign autographs from 11 a.m. to noon, and Garvey from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., on the second floor main outdoor area. The mall is located at 400 S Baldwin Ave #231 in Arcadia.

• I won’t be posting any DDs here until next Friday. I’ll be loosely monitoring the hot stove activity from afar (very afar, in Peru) in the meantime.

• “Underneath the Pine” by Toro Y Moi is a brilliant background soundtrack to vitrually any activity: