I won't be attending the Winter Meetings this season.  They moved from Las Vegas to Indianapolis, so I expect I'm not the only one taking a pass.  Anyway, here is your list of the best free agents, where they'll go and what they can do:

1. John Lackey, SP, 31

Lackey is a younger version of Andy Pettitte.  His stats are not ace-like, but he sure looks like an ace on the big stage.  He is a year younger than A.J. Burnett and should command a higher salary (5 years, $90 million).  With the Red Sox not in the market for a top starter, the Rangers and Yankees should duel for Lackey's services.

Prediction: Yankees

2. Jason Bay, LF, 31

Bay is older than I thought and according to the sabermetrics, a terrible defensive outfielder.  However, he is athletic (13 steals), patient (.384 OBP) and powerful (36 HR).  He's also proven he can hit in the AL, which is more than Matt Holliday can say.  The Red Sox will set a ceiling (4 years, $60 mill?) like they did with Johnny Damon years ago, but the Yankees won't overbid for Bay, who locks them out of Carl Crawford next Winter.  He could go to the NL, but where does Boston turn...Jeremy Hermida?  

Prediction: Red Sox

3. Matt Holliday, LF, 30

His 2009 performance should scare off the entire American League.  Yet, he will command a big salary (5 years, $80 mill?), so he can only go to the Mets, Dodgers, Giants, Phillies and Cubs.  He could really help the Giants or Braves, who are one bat away from NL domination.  The Dodgers and Phillies are locked up with Manny Ramirez and Raul Ibanez, while the Cubs have Alfonso Soriano's awful contract.  That leaves the Mets, but buyer beware, he does not seem like a New York kind of guy.

Prediction: Mets

4. Chone Figgins, UTIL, 32

Did you hear that crash?  That's the market falling off.  Figgy is a late-blooming utility player with great speed.  He plays a lot of positions, but he's settled into third base, which is unfortunate because he hits like a second baseman.  He would be a great fit to fill the Cubs hole at second base and move Soriano out of the leadoff spot.  But he's the Angels identity and they are the only team who would let him play third.

Prediction: Angels

5. Johnny Damon, LF, 36

Yes, he's 36, but unlike everyone below him on this list, he can actually help your team win games.  He hit the same number of homeruns as Holliday and he can do it on the big stage.  He needs to be on a winner, but he could help put a contender over the top.  Just a guess, but the Yankees will play hardball with him (offer no more than two years) and he'll take the money somewhere else.  The White Sox depth chart currently lists a black hole in left field with Carlos Quentin moving to the DH spot.

Prediction: White Sox

6. Adam Laroche, 1B, 30

He's only 30 and he hit 25 homers last season despite getting traded twice.  Plus, he's a good glove man.  In the non-steroid era, he's not a bad player.  The Braves need lumber and he's proven that he can thrive in that town.

Prediction: Braves

7. Nick Johnson, 1B, 31

He's a great defensive player and an on-base machine.  However, he cannot stay healthy, so he never gets into a power groove (20+ HR once, 2006).  If he could stay on the field, he'd be the steal of this class.  The Mets need him the most, but the injuries will scare them away.  The Red Sox could go bargain hunting if they fail to lure Adrian Gonzalez in a trade.  Billy Beane could be intrigued, but I'll say the Giants, who need an injection of offense everywhere.

Prediction: Giants

8. Rich Harden, SP, 28

He's still young enough to tease on potential alone.  He hit 140+ innings for the first time since his second year (2004) last season, so he's either learning to be durable or due to break down again.  No GM can afford to make him the big acquisition of their offseason because he's bound to embarrass them.  So, we're left with the Red Sox or Dodgers.  After last year's John Smoltz and Brad Penny debacles, Boston should look for safer ground.

Prediction: Dodgers

9. Mike Gonzalez, RP, 31

Brian Fuentes career ERA: 3.47.  Gonzalez: 2.57.  Fuentes career batting average against: .226.  Gonzalez: .209.  Fuentes career WHIP: 1.26.  Gonzalez: 1.22.  Fuentes free agency age: 33.  Gonzalez: 31.  Last Winter, Fuentes signed for $17.5 million over 2 years plus a third year option with the Angels.  If I'm Gonzalez's agent, I'm not settling for a penny less. 

Prediction: Phillies

10. Andy Pettitte, SP, 38

Yes, he's 38.  And yes, he's going back to the Yankees, so he's no fun to write about in a prediction column, but I cannot stomach putting a World Series hero behind the likes of Felipe Lopez, Adrian Beltre and Erik Bedard on any list.

Prediction: Yankees (1 year, $10 mill guaranteed)

Now for the fun part:

Trade Targets and Ideas

The 2010-11 Hot Stove class includes Roy Halladay, Joe Mauer, Carl Crawford, Derek Jeter, Cliff Lee, Victor Martinez and Aramis Ramirez.  Basically, the balance of power in baseball could be shifted next Winter.  However, a smart GM will try and get out in front of that class by snagging a top gun in a trade.  3 ideas:

1. Boston Red Sox acquire Padres 1B Adrian Gonzalez for RP Daniel Bard and prospects.

Boston has always viewed San Diego as a pipeline and the Red Sox will go to the well to pick-up the clean-up hitter that they desperately need.  The Padres don't want to pay actual money for baseball players, so they'll use their last chip to stock up on overvalued prospects.  Epstein can afford to lose Bard with Jonathan Papelbon in place.

2. New York Mets trade SS Jose Reyes to the Blue Jays for SP Roy Halladay.

This won't happen, but it should.  Reyes is a bad fit in New York, but he'd be a fun and relatively cheap piece to build around in Toronto.  Alongside Aaron Hill and Adam Lind, the Blue Jays would be decent.  Halladay is as good as gone after this season, so the Mets will need a negotiating window to lock him up.  In a spacious ballpark, Halladay and Johan Santana could own the National League.

3. New York Yankees trade SP Phil Hughes to the Rays for LF Carl Crawford.

Again, not gonna happen, but here me out.  If the Yankees sign Lackey, they'll have the top three in their rotation locked down with CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett.  Chien-Ming Wang will return midseason and Andy Pettitte is still in the mix.  The Yankees will move either Joba Chamberlain or Hughes to the bullpen.  As the postseason proved yet again, Chamberlain's stuff is far superior to Hughes.  Hughes projects as a middle of the rotation starter whereas Joba could be a potential ace or a replacement for Mariano Rivera when he retires.  With Ian Kennedy, Andrew Brackman and others earning big bonuses in the minors, why not flip Hughes for a 28-year-old left fielder who would hit homeruns in Yankees Stadium and obviously steal bases?  They can wait and get him as a free agent is the answer, but Crawford helps them win #28 in 2010.