Who to watch at MLB's winter meetings

Baseball's annual winter meetings are going to have a different look this year - the entire event is being held virtually due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

While baseball's brightest minds won't be situated in hotel suites or patrolling the lobby for at least this year, the excitement surrounding the event remains.

With that being said, here are some of the most important people to keep an eye on throughout the winter meetings, which are scheduled to run from Monday to Thursday.

Scott Boras

Boras' media availability at the winter meetings likely won't have the same impact of seasons past, but his presence - even in a virtual sense - still carries weight. Boras may not represent any of this year's top free agents, but expect him to shine the spotlight on his clients. Kris Bryant's impending free agency and the Cubs' future could be one of the hottest topics discussed on his Zoom meetings.

Trevor Bauer, Rachel Luba

Rachel Luba is also a name that should garner attention. She's the youngest certified female MLB agent, the only woman with her own agency, and represents Trevor Bauer. The pair are longtime friends from their college days and have used an intricate data, branding, and player development approach to help Bauer's performance and make his image one of the most recognizable in baseball. Combine that with the pitcher's ability and 2020 NL Cy Young campaign, and the suitors will be lining up for his services.

Springer, Realmuto, LeMahieu

Teams will be exploring the heavily rumored George Springer, J.T. Realmuto, and DJ LeMahieu and assessing whether or not they can afford any of the three in today's economic climate. Don't get me wrong, the trio should all be employed before next season - it's just a matter of where, for how long, and for how much.

Ken Rosenthal, Jeff Passan

Rumors? Did we say rumors? Make sure to give The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and ESPN's Jeff Passan a follow on Twitter before the meetings begin. The two reporters are baseball's biggest news-breakers and will also likely be spitting out intriguing rumors throughout the week. If a free-agent deal or trade happens, these two are usually among the first to know.

Ross Atkins, Steve Cohen, Kim Ng

The Toronto Blue Jays and New York Mets have been linked to almost everyone so far this offseason. That increases the importance of Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins and Mets owner Steve Cohen throughout the meetings. Atkins has mentioned adding up to three good players and the buzz surrounding the Mets is all thanks to the deep-pocketed Cohen, who also loves to tweet and discuss the direction of the team with interested fans.

New Marlins GM Kim Ng is also a person of interest at the winter meetings. Baseball's first female GM has already made one deal and will look to bolster a Miami squad that surprised MLB last season by making the playoffs after COVID-19 infected most of the team.

Rob Manfred, Tony Clark

Commissioner Rob Manfred and MLBPA executive director Tony Clark have a lot to talk about. It still remains unclear if the universal DH was a one-time thing in 2020, or if it will become standardized across both leagues next season. The collective bargaining agreement, which expires Dec. 1, 2021, needs to be revised because of the current economic state of the league, and also, what's the deal with next season? How many games will it be? Will it start on time? Two of the most important people in baseball need to roll up their sleeves and figure this out. The winter meetings provides them both with additional time to do so.