KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. (AP) – Magglio Ordonez headed down a hotel hallway, off to a meeting. Carlos Beltran and Adrian Beltre made big impressions, too, from far away.

Standing in front of an enormous arrangement of pink roses in the lobby, Scott Boras could afford to smile. Decidedly dressed down in jeans, the agent to all three prime free agents – and a few more – is smelling big bucks.

“I’ve heard from all teams, I’ve talked to all teams,” he said.

So while general managers debated moving back the July 31 trade deadline, reshaping the Arizona Fall League and other procedural topics, the real business of the GM meetings never strayed very far from players.

And this offseason, Boras might be the top impact player with the likes of that talented trio, along with J.D. Drew, Derek Lowe, Jason Varitek and Kevin Millwood.

“He’s got a very special class,” New York Mets GM Omar Minaya said.

Beltran might seek a 10-year deal following his phenomenal postseason with Houston, and Beltre may look for something similar after his MVP-caliber year with Los Angeles.

Ordonez, if the slugger proves he’s healed after knee surgery, could command a healthy contract. Coming off Boston’s win in the World Series, Varitek wants to catch onto a five-year deal.

“Icon players have proven to be great investments for their businesses,” said Boras, who previously negotiated megapacts for Alex Rodriguez and Kevin Brown.

Only a few teams might be willing to spend the kind of money Boras’ guys want. Of course, the New York Yankees are at the top of that list, despite any rumblings that they’re worried about a $200 million budget.

“This is my 24th year of doing this, and the Yankees’ payroll has been dangerously high’ 24 of 24,” Boras said. “They’ve been the Goliath of the game, and I don’t expect their position to change.”

Which would put them in perfect position to get Beltran, a five-tool center fielder. The Yankees already have Bernie Williams playing that position – he’s another Boras client.

Not to worry, the agent said.

“That’s something between Carlos and Bernie,” Boras said. “That’s something they’ve talked about.”

Their conversation took place during the season, Boras said, and he did not reveal the details or whether that meant the Yankees were the front-runners to sign Beltran.

So many potential moves this winter revolve about where top free agents might go, with Pedro Martinez, Nomar Garciaparra, Troy Glaus and Carl Pavano among those available. While the winter meetings usually produce more action, there’s a chance some big-name players could move before that session Dec. 10-13 in Anaheim, Calif.

“This is a time when many owners call,” Boras said. “When you deal with owners, timetables run short.”

Boras would not mention any interested owners or particular suitors for his players. Until Friday, teams can only talk money with their own free agents.

Come next month, there could be several trades. For now, teams talked about whether to change the July 31 deadline for making deals without waivers.

Atlanta GM John Schuerholz, Milwaukee assistant Gord Ash and several others are fine with that date. Yankees GM Brian Cashman, who has made his share of late deals for the postseason push, would like to see it moved back. No formal vote was taken, though there could be some sentiment for making it Aug. 15.

“I just think that with the wild-card issue, there are so many teams in it and they could use more time to decide if it’s a real opportunity or not,” Cashman said. “I would hate to be in a situation where you think you have a real shot and you hate to start selling off veterans.”

AP-ES-11-09-04 2208EST