With the long anticipated winter meetings just around the corner, the Boston Red Sox will look to improve upon an already talented squad. After falling short of a repeat last season at the hands of the Chicago White Sox the Boys from Beantown pulled the trigger on a blockbuster trade resulting in the acquisition of Josh Beckett, Mike Lowell and Guillermo Mota from the Florida Marlins. Now, with a week?s worth of potential deals being laid out before them, it is up to the management brain trust to revamp the ?06 Red Sox without giving up their future in the process. With money to burn and questions to answer here is one writer's take on the potential moves Red Sox nation could be discussing in the week?s to come... 1.) Re-Sign Johnny Damon- Why not? Yes, Scott Boras has made it known that they want a small fortune to retain his client?s skills but I?m sure a 4 year, $40 million deal will lure JD back to Boston. Besides, Johnny needs the Red Sox as much as the Red Sox need Johnny. He has been a leader for this team since he came on the scene, and who doesn't love that hair and beard? Although there will always be a knock for his lack of arm strength, he consistently does his job in the field, on the base paths, and at the plate and fits so effortlessly into the leadoff spot for the Sox offense. In the end there is no better situation for the lovable ?Caveman?, and last time I checked he was still absolutely adored by Red Sox nation. Instead of going after Juan Pierre or Corey Patterson through trades, go ahead and give Johnny the respect he deserves and allow him to feel comfortable once again in the friendly confines of Fenway Park. 2.) Trade for Bobby Abreu- O.K., so the Manny for Abreu thing fell through. Is anyone actually surprised? We all know that Philly needs starting pitching and unless I stand corrected the Red Sox have an abundance of it. So, as already reported by multiple sources, trade a package of Trot Nixon and Matt Clement or Bronson Arroyo to Philly for Abreu. Ideally, the Sox would like to get back Jason Michaels if they can?t resign Damon, but we?ll cross that bridge when we get there. For the Sox, clearing out either Clement or Arroyo frees up a spot in the rotation for Papelbon or another arm (Javier Vazquez?). The Sox would love move Clement because the money ends up being a wash, but the Phillies will more than likely want Arroyo in order to save some change. Either way Abreu is still possible to play either corner outfield position for the Sox in ?06, it will just take some work to bring him aboard. 3.) Figure out the Manny situation- Every day there seems to be something new on the Manny front. One day he?s traded, the other he?s not. So, let?s get this all figured out ASAP. We know that there are only a hand full of teams that Ramirez will play for, so that immediately limits our options. Here is one situation that could potentially reap the most benefits for the Sox. Create a potential three-way trade with Anaheim and Arizona. We know that Anaheim is drooling over the prospect of having Ramirez hitting behind Vlad, but they don?t match up with the Sox personnel wise. Here is where Arizona comes in. Josh Byrnes and the rest of his former Red Sox staff know our system well and would love to shed their roster of some dead weight in the forms of Troy Glaus and Javier Vazquez. In this scenario, the Sox would move Ramirez to Anaheim and receive Glaus and Vazquez in return from Arizona who get a package of prospects from the Angels (most likely involving Casey Kotchman) and possibly another prospect from the Sox. In the end, Manny moves out of town, the Sox get a bat and an arm and Arizona gets youth and financial flexibility. 4.) Other possibilities- Don?t be surprised if some of the following Red Sox names or trades materialize during the upcoming week(s). David Wells to San Diego- It?s been discussed that Dave Roberts could be headed back to the Hub where he will forever be immortalized for his stolen base in the 2004 ALCS. Bronson Arroyo to Texas- The Sox are still trying to pry former #1 pick Adrian Gonzalez and another prospect from Texas in exchange for Arroyo to platoon at first with Kevin Youkilis. Mike Lowell to Minnesota- With the possibility of Glaus coming on board to play the hot corner it makes Lowell expendable. The Twins could offer LHP J.C. Romero and a prospect to sure up the Sox bullpen. Be very careful with this move as it could upset Josh Beckett in the process. Kelly Shoppach- He still doesn't have a major league hit and his value is on the decline. Do we dump him somewhere or wait him out for a few more seasons? He is log jammed behind Tek and Mirabelli so keep an eye on this situation. 5.) End Results- With all of the potential moves the Sox could make the only thing I am sure of is that there will be more new faces in ?06 to get to know. In the end, the Beckett trade may have just been the first domino in a line of transactions that could completely change the image of Red Sox in the year?s to come. Whichever way the ownership group decides to go, make sure of one thing, don't sell the farm. Hanley and Sanchez were worth the gamble but names like Pedroia, Lester, Moss, Murphy, Martinez, Ellsbury, and others look just fine in Sox uniforms, and will be ready to make a splash in due time. With the above trades taken into consideration, here is one take on the 2006 Red Sox roster, let the debating begin! SP- Curt Schilling SP- Josh Beckett SP- Javier Vazquez SP- Tim Wakefield SP- Jon Papelbon RP- Chad Bradford RP- Lenny Dinardo RP- Craig Hanson RP- J.C. Romero RP- Mike Timlin RP- Keith Foulke C- Jason Varitek C- Doug Mirabelli 1B- Kevin Youkilis 1B- Adrian Gonzalez 2B- Dustin Pedroia 2B- Alex Cora SS- Edgar Renteria 3B- Troy Glaus OF- Johnny Damon OF- Bobby Abreu OF- Dave Roberts OF- Casey Stern OF- Gabe Kapler DH- David Ortiz Other Possible Roster Options- RP- Manny DelCarmen, RP- Jon Lester Feel free to email me at [email protected] with questions or comments