ANAHEIM, California (Ticker) -- The baseball world gathers this week for the annual winter meetings near Disneyland, where the ultimate fantasy for some clubs will be to go home with Ken Griffey Jr.

Just as the future of Roger Clemens was a focal point of last year's meetings in Nashville, Tennessee, the 1999 version will center on Griffey, the superstar outfielder for the Seattle Mariners who has asked to be traded to a team closer to his Orlando, Florida home.

And even if the Mariners fail to pull the trigger on any deal involving Griffey, there should be no shortage of activity at the meetings, which begin Friday and conclude Tuesday. Teams will be eager to complete their Christmas shopping lists, even if the crop of available free agents is thin compared to what should be under the tree at next year's holiday season.

Outfielder Greg Vaughn and pitchers Aaron Sele and Chuck Finley are the top free agents still available. The meetings also could see trades involving the marquee 2000 class of free agents, led by Griffey.

Agent Jeff Moorad recently added the term "accelerated free agency" to baseball's language and that is what could happen at the Anaheim Marriott Hotel as teams trade future free agents now rather then lose them entirely in a year.

The most recognizable man in Anaheim this week, outside of Mickey Mouse, will be Mariners general manager Pat Gillick, who will try to orchestrate a deal for Griffey. The future Hall of Famer won his third consecutive American League home run title last season with 48 while hitting .285 and driving in 134 runs.

Gillick was unable to work a deal at the recent general manager's meeting and is under no urgent deadline since Griffey still is under contract for one more year. The Cincinnati Reds, Atlanta Braves, New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals have been mentioned as possible suitors for Griffey, but those teams appear quite adamant about not giving up any of their young stars for a player that could walk away in a year.

Reds general manager Jim Bowden, for example, appears dead set against giving up first baseman Sean Casey, an emerging star in Cincinnati. The Reds had been christened the frontrunner in the Griffey sweepstakes, since Griffey is from Ohio and his father is a coach for the team, but pulled out this week.

Gillick could very well follow the course taken last season by Toronto general manager Gord Ash, who left the meetings without trading Clemens and finally dealt the five-time Cy Young Award winner in spring training to the New York Yankees.

Some significant 2000 free agents have been traded -- Dante Bichette from Colorado to Cincinnati, Juan Gonzalez from Texas to Detroit, Andy Ashby from San Diego to Philadelphia and Shawn Green from Toronto to Los Angeles.

However, the early explosion of trades has slowed in the last few weeks, possibly due to the six-year, $84 million extension given by the Dodgers to Green, who has had just two big seasons.

Some teams may have been scared to deal, worried that the bar of retaining those free agents was pushed too high. The current crop of free agents also appears to be asking for the moon since only about 20 of the 117 declared free agents had signed by Tuesday.

Ash again will play a role this winter as he tries to re-sign or find a new home for first baseman Carlos Delgado, a free agent next season who reportedly has been offered a five-year deal worth $60 million.

Teams expected to be active this week include the Mets, in need of a first baseman after John Olerud signed with the Mariners, and Cleveland, which has lost star outfielder Kenny Lofton until at least the All-Star break with a shoulder injury.

None of the current crop of free agents will receive a $105 million contract as Kevin Brown did last season at the Nashville meetings, but teams are more than likely to be generous, as the Dodgers were with the eye-popping offer to Green.

Still up for grabs are pitchers Kenny Rogers, Darren Oliver, Omar Olivares, Andy Benes and Juan Guzman, third baseman Todd Zeile and first baseman David Nilsson, who might take next year off to participate in the Olympics for his native Australia.

Players that could be traded at the meetings include Anaheim outfielder Jim Edmonds, Colorado third baseman Vinny Castilla, Houston outfielder Derek Bell, Montreal outfielder Rondell White, Tampa Bay closer Roberto Hernandez and pitcher Ismael Valdes and second baseman Eric Young of the Dodgers.

One of the rumors has the Braves sending Bret Boone to San Diego for Quilvio Veras in a deal involving second baseman.

The meetings officially are run by the minor leagues, with the major leagues resuming participation last season.

Among the events are Monday's Rule 5 draft, when teams can pick certain players not protected on other club's 40-man rosters for $50,000. The drafting clubs must keep those players on the major league roster for the entire season or offer them back to the original club for $25,000.