As of now, I believe I have heard quite literally a million different names of players the Sox might be pursuing, either via free agency or trade.  Never fear, folks; I am here to sift through the wreckage to find some actual, viable names that could be suiting up in Fenway Park’s cozy home clubhouse next year.

Of course, this discussion starts and ends with Roy Halladay.  Fans everywhere are split on whether or not it would be a wise move to mortgage your future for one (although dominant) 32 year old pitcher who has never had a home ballpark in America.  Nobody is doubting his ability, but do the Sox really want to give up Clay Buchholz, Casey Kelly, and others in return for him?  The answer is yes, because frankly…I think these particular prospects are overrated.  Yes, Buchholz has proven an extremely capable number 3 starter.  But you know who’s definitely proven himself a great 1 starter?  Roy Halladay.  Casey Kelly, while coveted, did play the infield for half of this season.  He had a great half-year on the mound, but…so have others.  Not everyone who dominates at Greenville makes the bigs.  Kelly is far from a can’t-miss.  While I don’t think this deal falls in the realm of Johan Santana-for-some random Mets (Twins GM: 5 players?  How could I lose!), this wouldn’t be as much of a boon for Toronto as Sox fans feel.  Grab Halladay.

In terms of Adrian Gonzalez, I feel differently.  The bottom line this offseason is that the Sox prospects would have to go somewhere in order to get one of these two huge names.  In San Diego, hotshot young GM Jed Hoyer spent a good amount of time in the Sox front office.  Basically, he knows who to ask for, and he’ll get a lot more for his masher than anyone up in Toronto would.  While Gonzalez is a beast, there’s plenty of bats around in the free agent class of 2010.  Save your prospects for some pitching, ink VMart to an extension to play first, and sign one Joseph Mauer.  Bingo.

Now, with those major trade targets aside, here’s a “quick hits” list of some of the other names we’re hearing:

-Marco Scutaro: Sign.  Now.  Some might say, “2009 was his first productive year.  Why would I ever want him?”  Well, 2009 was also his first year as a full-time shortstop, essentially.  The guy bubbles with energy.  He’s exactly the kind of guy that thrives at Fenway.  He also plays shortstop, which I’ve heard is a position the Sox struggle to fill.

-Kelvim Escobar: What?  I’d forgotten he was still playing.  Either way, for a Theo reclamation project…it’s not a bad idea.  Sign him up.

-The injury-prone pitcher section: Rich Harden, Ben Sheets, Erik Bedard.  The only one of these guys I would touch with a 10 foot pole is Harden.  He has shown flashes of brilliance, and has put together some injury-free seasons recently.  Sheets blows out his elbow annually, and Erik Bedard hasn’t put together a season in a while.  Pass.  Plus, I want to see Bedard go back to the O’s as rumored, so that the Bedard-for-Jones/Sherrill/Chris Tillman/Tony Butler trade becomes the most lopsided thing I’ve ever seen (M’s GM: Guys, let’s just give this Bedard guy back.  I almost feel bad for the O’s we’re ripping them off so much.).

-Rafael Soriano: Why not?  He throws hard, converts saves, and I have a feeling the Yankees will pick him up otherwise.

-Mike Gonzalez: No, for no other reason than the fact that his weird, pause-motion bothers the crap out of me.

Well, that’s all I can come up with as of now.  Hope this was a solid-enough wrap up.  We should know more in the coming weeks; the Winter Meetings are just around the corner.  As the great Michael Scott once said, “Buckle up, it’s gonna be a bumpy one.”  Also, don’t mess with Jed Hoyer- I said that one.

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