A look at the winter meetings

The winter meetings officially start tomorrow at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas and conclude with Thursday morning's Rule 5 draft. Many team executives and agents will start arriving at the hotel today.

The actual "meetings" are the boring part; they involve major-league and minor-league folks discussing pedestrian matters such as marketing, training methods and travel logistics. But with everyone under one roof, much baseball-operations business is conducted and completed. That's why the winter meetings are such a meaningful event for you.

Here's a breakdown of what could go down this week:

Free agents on the move

C.J. Wilson.He's most likely to sign first because he is undisputedly the top starting pitcher available. It behooves the other starting pitchers to wait for Wilson to decide, with the Angels, Marlins and Nationals appearing to be his top suitors.

Jose Reyes.His market is officially slow as he tries to reach the $100-million mark. Will the Marlins raise their offer enough to close the deal? If the number stays in the range of $80 million to $90 million, will the Mets feel pressure to match it?

Albert Pujols.If there are any serious suitors besides the Cardinals, they're keeping quiet. The Cubs? Can't see it. If anything, they're probably trying to get the Cardinals to pay more.

Prince Fielder.The Cubs, Seattle, Washington, Milwaukee . . . and keep an eye on Toronto. With the ultra-patient Scott Boras as his representative, he's the least likely to sign this week.

David Ortiz.He badly wants to return to the Red Sox; the Blue Jays and Orioles have expressed some interest. Look for Ortiz and Boston to concede some on each side to reunite.

Busy teams

Marlins.They landed their first big signing in closer Heath Bell, and they seem serious about landing Reyes and maybe Wilson. They're less serious, however, about bringing in the pricey Pujols.

Red Sox.With new manager Bobby Valentine aboard, they'll look for back-end starting pitchers (Daniel Bard could convert from setup man) and a closer to replace Jonathan Papelbon (Ryan Madson?) and try to resolve the Ortiz situation.

Brewers.Coming off their first National League Central title, the Brewers will try to move aggressively elsewhere if they can't retain Fielder. They could be a late suitor on Reyes.

Angels.Now having gone two seasons without a playoff berth, and with a new general manager in Jerry DiPoto, the Angels are going aggressively after Wilson and third baseman Aramis Ramirez.

Nationals.They have shown a willingness to spend money no matter how foolishly (see Werth, Jayson). Wilson, Fielder and starting pitcher Edwin Jackson are potential targets. Reyes would make sense, too.

Players available

in tradeJohn Danks, White Sox.With a new manager in Robin Ventura, the White Sox appear to be in a rebuilding mode. Danks has only one year left before free agency. The Yankees and Rangers are interested.

Gio Gonzalez, Athletics.He'd draw a considerably higher return than Danks, given that he won't reach free agency until the 2015-16 offseason.

Matt Garza, Cubs.We know he can handle the American League East, and having just taken over the team, president of baseball operations Theo Epstein has the freedom to do as he sees fit.

Jair Jurrjens, Braves.Questions about his health likely will limit the Braves' potential return on the righthander.

David Wright, Mets.For the right package (a premier middle-of-the-diamond player and a pitcher)? Sure. Will the Mets get that package? Probably not.

New front offices to monitor

Red Sox.It's Ben Cherington's first go-round as general manager, although predecessor Epstein increased his responsibilities the past few years.

Cubs.With Epstein as president of baseball operations and Jed Hoyer as GM, the historic franchise wants to build a perennial contender.

Orioles.Dan Duquette, back in the hot seat after a forced nine-year break, wants to build up the Orioles' player development program.

Angels.Will DiPoto get more leeway than the recently dismissed Tony Reagins? Or will he have to yield much of the decision-making to owner Arte Moreno and manager Mike Scioscia?

Twins.Terry Ryan succeeds the man who succeeded him, Bill Smith, and tries to get the last-place Twins back to their more familiar locale of the AL Central penthouse.

Just because, five more free agents

Mark Buehrle.The White Sox are acting as if he's a goner, but we've seen this dance before, such as last year with Paul Konerko. Besides, most folks think Buehrle prefers to stay in the Midwest.

Jimmy Rollins.Just as the market has been quiet for Reyes, so it has gone for Rollins, whose most likely destination is a return to Philadelphia.

Carlos Beltran.Besides Reyes, Pujols and Fielder, the industry focus has largely been on pitching. The Red Sox and Giants are Beltran possibilities. Francisco Rodriguez.Boras will have to work his magic, as he did last year in getting Rafael Soriano $35 million (over three years) to set up for the Yankees.

Ryan Madson.Another Boras closer client, Madson seems to be in higher demand than K-Rod, who finished 2011 setting up for Milwaukee's John Axford.

New managers at the meetings

Bobby Valentine, Red Sox.Of course. And fitting that he'll be hanging out in the Metroplex, where he got his managerial start with the Rangers in 1985.

Ozzie Guillen, Marlins.He'll surely be quoted extensively this week as the Marlins pursue Reyes and Wilson.

Dale Sveum, Cubs.It'll be the laid-back Sveum's first appearance in front of a national media scene since taking over.

Robin Ventura, White Sox.The unlikely choice will try to sell his club's shift in direction to the public.

Mike Matheny, Cardinals.He faces the biggest challenge in replacing Tony La Russa, but the former catcher doesn't lack self-confidence.

Teams acting deliberately

Yankees.With CC Sabathia and Freddy Garcia back and their lineup virtually set, the Yankees feel as if they can take their time.

Mets.Just a matter of watching Reyes do his thing and waiting for the closer market to drop to them.

Rays.The Rays have an abundance of starting pitching, but they won't rush to unload that excess. They rarely make a bad trade.

Rangers.With Joe Nathan aboard to close and Neftali Feliz shifting to the starting rotation, the Rangers needn't panic when they (probably) lose Wilson.

Giants.The Giants don't have much money to spend, so they'll tread carefully and see if Beltran's price becomes reasonable.

Potential Hall of Fame honorees

On Monday, the Veterans Committee will announce the winners, if any, from its Golden Era ballot, featuring people who impacted the game primarily from 1947 through 1972.

Ron Santo.The former Cubs third baseman really should be in Cooperstown already.

Luis Tiant.The colorful Cuban native has a pretty good case for inclusion.

Gil Hodges.That he is beloved and admired -- particularly in New York -- could help him. His old pal Tommy Lasorda is on the committee.

Jim Kaat.Another good citizen of the game, his broadcasting career has kept him visible.

Buzzie Bavasi.It's hard to predict when executives will get elected, but Bavasi, who won four world championships while leading the Dodgers from 1951-67, arguably has the credentials.