Notes From Sin City: The 10 People to Watch At the 2008 Winter Meetings

Our MLB editor files dispatches from this year's Winter Meetings in Las Vegas in Notes From Sin City.

For better or worse, Las Vegas has been the center of the sports world for the last few days. From O.J. Simpson to Oscar De La Hoya-Manny Pacquiao, Sin City has been a nerve center, and that will continue this week as the entire baseball world descends on the lobby of the Bellagio Hotel for Major League Baseball's annual Winter Meetings.

As always, there figures to be plenty of action on the Strip, but you won't have to go to a poker room or a roulette wheel to find it.

The Hot Stove League has moved at a glacial pace so far, only really beginning to pick up in the last half week and setting the stage for what could be one of the more fascinating Winter Meetings in recent memory. Rarely in the last decade has baseball seen a free-agent class this stocked with quality players or a more vibrant and active trade market.

With that in mind, here is a list of the 10 people to watch most intently over the next few days in Las Vegas.


10. Greg Maddux: Five years from now, he'll be well on his way to enshrinement in Cooperstown. On Monday, Mad Dog will call it quits after 23 years in the majors. It's been easy to forget how truly great Maddux is over the last few years as he's morphed into a back-of-the-rotation starter, but, given the gravity of the allegations against Roger Clemens in the Mitchell Report, his legacy is stronger than ever.

9. Rafael Furcal: His decision to snub the A's earlier this week was puzzling, considering both the quality of the offer and his questionable health in 2008. With the Giants' signing of Edgar Renteria and the Khalil Greene trade, the shortstop market is rapidly shrinking. It will be interesting to see if he can drum up enough interest to top Oakland's offer or if he'll be forced to go back, hat in hand, to Billy Beane.

8. A.J. Burnett: Will he be able to squeeze a fifth year out of the Braves or some other team? It might not take long to find out. Burnett figures to be the first big-ticket hurler to sign a contract this winter.

7. Brian Cashman: The Yankees general manager would rank much higher if his goals – and thus the players he is chasing – weren't so painfully obvious. CC Sabathia is clearly priority No. 1 (and probably Nos. 2 and 3 too), but New York is in the market for multiple starters so he'll be talking to Burnett, Andy Pettitte, Derek Lowe and maybe even Ben Sheets as well.

6. Arte Moreno: You have to love outspoken owners like Moreno. The Angels want to re-sign first baseman Mark Teixeira, but if they fail to do so, they are expected to jump right into the Sabathia sweepstakes. Moreno himself hasn't ruled out bringing back record-setting closer Francisco Rodriguez or making a run at Manny Ramirez either.

5. Kevin Towers: San Diego is in full blow-it-up-and-rebuild mode, meaning the major league roster could look like a picked over carcass by the end of the week. Towers has already moved Khalil Greene and engaged in serious trade talks with the Braves and Cubs about 2007 NL Cy Young winner Jake Peavy. Shipping Peavy out is probably tops on the Padres' agenda, but don't rule out trades involving Kevin Kouzmanoff and Brian Giles either.

4. Omar Minaya: The Mets have been very quiet since their September collapse, but Minaya has serious work to do to catch up with the World Series champion Phillies in the NL East. New York is in the market for a starting pitcher and offensive depth, but its top mission this winter is to improve its wretched bullpen. The free-agent market is flooded with closers and there are plenty of teams in need of relief help, but the market won't move until Minaya and the Mets settle on someone for the ninth inning.

3. Mark Teixeira: He will probably sign the longest contract of any free agent this winter, and with good reason, but where he ends up seems like a complete wild card. The Angels are a natural fit, but it's hard to ignore the Red Sox, who are looking for a boost in the middle of their order, and the Yankees, who have a gaping hole at first base only somewhat filled by recent acquisition of Nick Swisher. Ditto for the Nationals and Orioles, who will be able to tug on the Maryland native's heart strings in any potential bid.

2. Scott Boras: Even for Boras, this is an absurd collection of talent for your everyday superagent to be shopping. He has the two best hitters on the market in Teixeira and Manny Ramirez as well as two of the top three pitchers available in Lowe and Burnett. Those four clients could pull in close to $250 million when the dust settles. At 10 percent commission ... well you do the math.

1. CC Sabathia: The burly left-hander is taking his time entertaining offers from the Yankees and Brewers. Both of those clubs are likely to sweeten the pot in the near future, but he's also almost certain to hear from the Giants and Angels and may receive offers from the Red Sox and Dodgers as well. The Bronx Bombers are waiting on Sabathia, but so are the Brewers, Derek Lowe and maybe even Mark Teixeira. The market for the top-tier players seems to run through the big man.