NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Nomar, Pedro and Manny aren't going anywhere.

New Boston general manager Theo Epstein said Friday the chances of a blockbuster involving one of the Red Sox superstars is "very, very, very small,'' saying he has no interest in making a deal solely to put his stamp on the team.

Quelling speculation that has been a staple of talk radio -- but apparently nonexistent among the Boston braintrust -- Epstein said the team was not looking to deal Nomar Garciaparra, Pedro Martinez or Manny Ramirez.

"I can't envision a scenario in which that would happen,'' Epstein said on the opening day of the baseball winter meetings at the Opryland Hotel. "There's nothing in the works in that regard.''

Garciaparra, a two-time AL batting champion, has two years left on a contract that will pay him at least $22 million. Martinez, a three-time Cy Young Award winner, is under contract for $15 million in 2003, and the team holds a $17.5 million option for the next season.

With the Red Sox on the hook to Ramirez for at least six more years of his eight-year, $160 million deal, speculation has intensified that the team cannot afford to keep Martinez and Garciaparra beyond 2004. The team is also leery of letting them leave as free agents, having watched Roger Clemens and Mo Vaughn walk in the 1990s and getting nothing in return.

As Epstein, who became the youngest general manager in baseball history last month, prepared for his first winter meetings, the trade whispers began to grow louder. But the 28-year-old GM said he knew how to put the team's interest first.

"The business of the Boston Red Sox, making the club better, has nothing to do with me,'' he said. "I can't see anyone in my situation making something happen out of self-interest. That would be ridiculous.''

More likely to come out of the meetings is a smaller deal. After arriving in the afternoon, Epstein was planning to begin making the rounds of the other GMs on Friday night to see what might be available.

"Just the normal routine,'' he said, "road trips and home games, our suite or theirs.''

Epstein also said he has put in calls to the agent for outfielder Cliff Floyd. The two sides are working toward a Dec. 19 deadline, when Floyd must either accept or reject the team's offer of arbitration. If he rejects it, the Red Sox cannot negotiate with him after Jan. 8.

The team has expressed an interest in Hideki Matsui, a three-time MVP of Japan's Central League. More enticing is Jose Contreras, a Cuban pitcher who defected, but negotiations with him cannot begin until he clears up his residency and becomes a free agent.

Among the teams Epstein planned to meet with is the Montreal Expos, who could be selling off stars to meet budget limits. The Expos could shed Vladimir Guerrero, Bartolo Colon or Javier Vazquez.