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Roche: If You Love Sox' Young Talent, Prepare Yourself For Potentially Painful Offseason

BOSTON (CBS) -- You know it's coming. Red Sox President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski has been talking about it since arrived on the scene a few months ago.

He wants power pitching and he wants an ace.

So, Red Sox fans, if you want to see David Price, Zack Greinke, Jordan Zimmerman, Chris Sale, Stephen Strasburg, Sonny Gray, Aroldis Chapman, and/or Craig Kimbrel wearing a Sox uniform in 2016 and beyond, you have to prepare yourself for one thing: You're going to have to give up something to get these guys. That something could be a hefty amount of cash, or a collection of prospects.

I don't think Xander Bogaerts or Mookie Betts will be going anywhere. Dombrowski seems to agree that the two are their cornerstones of the future. But beyond that, it appears anyone is a possibility and I think Dombrowski has earned that right, don't you?

READ: Rochie's Offseason Wish List

He came in here and watched/assessed the franchise for two months. He saw what he had. And now he knows what he has to do to get the Sox headed in the right direction again. I think Sox fans need to trust him at this point.

So get ready Sox fans. You may be saying farewell to Jackie Bradley Jr., Blake Swihart, Eduardo Rodriguez, Yoan Moncada, Rafael Devers, Manuel Margot or Javier Guerra.

As Dombrowski alluded to, this offseason may be painful for some. However, you have to give up something to get something, and remember you're protecting your top two guys here. You need pitching and yes, it's easy to sign a free agent because there's no prospect pain. But there is seven years and $210 million type of pain. That's a big risk too. You're also looking at the possibility of eating some (or all of) a Hanley Ramirez or Pablo Sandoval contract too. Things could get expensive.

So, get ready for it. I keep telling myself that it would have been so easy to retain Jon Lester and John Lackey, but that's long gone.

The pain is coming. The question is: Will it be a good pain long-term?

Follow WBZ-TV's Dan Roche on Twitter @RochieWBZ.

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