It was a quiet first day at the annual MLB winter meetings in terms of deals getting done, but there was no shortage of intriguing rumors.

Chicago White Sox ace Chris Sale remains the hottest name on the trade market, while teams also appear ready to make a push to acquire veteran talent from a Kansas City Royals club looking to trim salary.

With such a limited free-agent market that has already seen a number of top-tier names signed, the trade scene figures to be as busy as ever this week.

Four free agents came off the board on Opening Day of the 2016 MLB winter meetings, a tetrad highlighted by Rich Hill's re-signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Mark Melancon, one of the three elite closers available to the highest bidder, joining the San Francisco Giants.

According to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports, Kansas City Royals closer Wade Davis is on the trade block:

Davis, 31, was excellent in 2016, finishing 2-1 with a 1.87 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 27 saves in 30 opportunities and 47 strikeouts in 43.1 innings pitched. 

More to follow.

Mark Melancon spent the second half of the 2016 season with the Washington Nationals, but the 31-year-old closer is moving on from the reigning National League East champions after reportedly signing with the San Francisco Giants on Monday. 

The Philadelphia Phillies took a big step toward shoring up their bullpen with the addition of Joaquin Benoit on Monday. 

According to Jon Heyman of Today's Knuckleball, the 39-year-old reliever signed with the club after Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com reported the two sides were close Sunday night.

The Toronto Blue Jays added a high-upside player to the roster Monday with the signing of Steve Pearce to a two-year, $12.5 million deal.

The Blue Jays confirmed the deal on Monday after ESPN's Buster Olney first reported the agreement and terms. 

Under Armour is coming to Major League Baseball. The apparel company announced a 10-year partnership with MLB that will make it baseball's official uniform supplier beginning in 2020.

The first week of December is typically an optimistic time for all 30 Major League Baseball teams because it marks the start of the winter meetings, where club executives and agents discuss potential deals.

There was a storm cloud hanging over this year's meetings, though, with owners and the players' union struggling to agree to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement.

It’s fairly easy to write a check. Do you want a free agent on your team? All an executive really needs to do is offer that player a bigger contract than every other team in contention for his services.

The more difficult task for general managers around the game is to identify players who offer an organization great value.

Inevitably, those players are flawed. Otherwise, they would be fielding high-priced offers that would negate the idea that they bring any value. So have an open mind when considering the following choices.

The last time Carlos Beltran was in a Houston Astros uniform, he was punishing baseballs left and right as he led the team deep into the postseason.

It could be deja vu all over again 11 months from now.