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Massarotti: 3 Things Dave Dombrowski Must Accomplish This Offseason

By Tony Massarotti, CBS Boston

BOSTON (CBS) -- Opening Day is roughly five months away, but do not be deceived. Baseball games will be won and lost in the coming days, weeks and months.

For Dave Dombrowski and the Red Sox, the 2016 season begins now.

Late Friday night, as the clock officially turns to Saturday, free agents will be eligible to sign with any team, at anytime, anywhere. On Monday, the general managers' meetings will open in Boca Raton. Amid it all, Dombrowski will begin executing the plan that Red Sox executives almost certainly have put in place already, from the first name on their wish list to the last.

We all know what Dombrowski has to accomplish this offseason. But in the event you've forgotten, let's start with:

1. Solve The Hanley Ramirez Problem

Hanley Ramirez
Hanley Ramirez #13 of the Boston Red Sox (Photo by Winslow Townson/Getty Images)

To date, Dombrowski has given every indication that the Red Sox will employ Ramirez as their first baseman next season. But does anyone really believe him? The next time a general manager comes out and publicly admits that the team is seeking to trade a problematic player, well, that will be the first time.

Make of this what you will, but there are executives in the game who believe Travis Shaw will be a solid major league player. (One likened him to someone like Adam LaRoche.) Also, the Sox have been linked to Korean first baseman Byung Ho Park. Whatever the outcome, the Red Sox have enough options and other needs – to make do at first base, eat some of Ramirez' money and potentially deal for another need, however small.

We all know how different the Sox looked with Ramirez off the field in 2015. And as the Kansas City Royals have proven, power might not be quite the commodity it used to be.

2. Find A Frontline Starter

David-Price
David Price finished the 2015 season with an 18-5 record and a 2.45 ERA. He went 9-1 with a 2.30 ERA in 11 starts for the Blue Jays after being acquired from the Detroit Tigers. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

Again, obvious right? David Price and Johnny Cueto might be the most desirable starters on the open market for the simple fact that neither requires draft pick compensation. Dombrowski has acquired Price once before as the general manager of the Detroit Tigers, and we all know how executives develop affections for certain players. (Dombrowski signed Miguel Cabrera in Florida, after all, then traded for him in Detroit.)

Price seems the obvious choice, but the bidding for him could be steep – the Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees and others will likely be interested. Cubs president Theo Epstein – him again – already has stated that the Cubs No. 1 priority is a front-end starter, and you can bet that Epstein likes Price for lots of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that it won't cost him any draft picks.

If Price ends up elsewhere, Dombrowski might be best served to deal for a starter. That could mean the departure of any one of the Red Sox better young prospects – from Blake Swihart and Christian Vazquez to Manuel Margot – which will put Dombrowski on the spot early. Can he identify the right ones to deal – and, for that matter, keep?

3. Fortify The Bullpen

Aroldis-Chapman
Aroldis Chapman finished the 2015 season with 33 saves and a 1.63 ERA, striking out 116 batters in 66.1 innings. (Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images)

Say what you will about former Sox general manager Ben Cherington, but he's looking smarter by the day. One year after suggesting that a team did not need an ace to win the World Series, the Royals won the World Series without a truly dominant starter. (Interestingly, the Royals acquired Johnny Cueto to address their void at the top of the rotation, but Cueto was a hit-or-miss proposition during the playoffs.) The point is this: Kansas City won with an athletic team that hit the ball to the gaps, played terrific defense and shut down opponents in the late innings with a killer bullpen. The first two elements look a little like what Cherington was trying to build here.

Think about it: Xander Bogaerts, Mookie Betts, Swihart, etc. You get the drift.

Where the Red Sox failed badly in 2015 was in the construction of their bullpen, which was too thin with or without Koji Uehara. Already, the Sox have indicated that Matt Barnes will be a reliever and that Uehara could morph into more of a setup role. Adding a solid starter and, say, one or two dominant bullpen pieces – Aroldis Chapman? – could be an appealing option.

Remember: when you're a team like the Red Sox are right now, you have money to spend, prospects to deal, needs to fill.

And when those three elements converge, you can pretty much make any move you want to.

Tony Massarotti co-hosts the Felger and Massarotti Show on 98.5 The Sports Hub weekdays from 2-6 p.m. Follow him on Twitter @TonyMassarotti. You can read more from Tony by clicking here.

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