Seems to me these are some of the factors affecting the Sox decision-making, some of which will not be very clear for a while:

- What do they have in Iglesias? Is he as good as advertised? How close is he, realistically, to the majors? The AFL will provide some insight.
If Iglesias appears to be as advertised, and reasonably close to the majors, 1 or 2 years, then if I were them I'd sign Gonzo and plan to play him fulltime if Lowrie does not recover fully AND perform well. I would not bother with any other SS acquisition EXCEPT if the opportunity arose to get Hanley Ramirez. But then I would consider moving him to 3B or the OF.

- Is Mike Lowell's hip ever going to really recover? Or, will he be getting shots periodically, and having to go through periuods of rest, during next season? Lowell has shown he still can hit, and he would make a fine DH, if the Sox, or someone else, needed one. However, unless he improves markedly he is a liability in the field, and a problem if relied upon and can't play regularly.

- Ortiz will be back next year, maybe for his last year depending on how he does. He certainly has done well in recent weeks. But another prolonged slump might not be as tolerated as it was this year. Lowell does make a good backup there, but Adam Dunn would be even better, or possibly, Jason Bay.

- Are they going to sign Bay? I think they will make a very solid effort but probably not give him the length of a deal that he wants. However, I think it unlikely that anyone else will, either. Right now I think the odds are about 60-40 that he returns to the Sox. However, if he doesn't, and the Sox will know fairly soon whether he is likely to, then a hitter has to be acquired. The top prospect OFs are not ready yet.

- Is Varitek coming back? I think V-Mart is going to do the majority of the catching next year, but probably with someone else doing more than just being Wake's catcher (if Wake comes back).

- Is Wake coming back? Probably will not know until well after his surgery. Regardless of the decision here, the Sox probably need to try to get another top-slight starter. I am skeptical that any of the other existing candidates for the 5th SP position are going to be acceptable. But if you have read my previous posts you know I was not terribly enthusiastic about Tazawa. However, I may have over-estimated Bowden.

So, in my estimation the Sox priorities are likely to be: (1) Resolving the Bay situation one way or the other; (2) If not, then replacing Bay with a good hitter; (3) If yes, then focusing on acquiring a top flight SP (4) Making some decisions on the SS-3B situation and taking action accordingly, either signing Gonzo and/or a FA and/or making a trade. I am not sure the Sox have enough top-flight minor league talent to pull off a trade for more than one elite player, SP or position player, without pretty much wiping out the system for a couple years, at least. If Bay leaves then the priority probably would have to be getting an equivalent replacement. If he stays, then the priority probably will be to get a top flight SP. Both tasks are far easier said than done.

I do not think there is any chance of getting Mauer. I am very dubious about Seattle giving up their young ace. As much as I like Adrian Gonzalez, I think that if SD does trade him it will be to some other team. I am extremely unethusiastic about either Beltre or JJHardy. These are not star players, and Beltre is only going to get worse. Hardy could not even stick with the Brewers, but there may be more to that than meets the eye. In any case, he is a huge risk, not worth giving up the talent that would be required. I also really doubt that the Brewers will trade Fielder after the year he's had. A year ago was the time to get him.

The pickings actually are very slim.