Winter Meetings Next Week

If your brain works like mine, I have to think that the signings of David Ross & Jonny Gomes - 2 guys with good character & mediocre skills - are part of a bigger trade plan put in motion at the initial GM meeting in Palm Springs this past month. Maybe the groundwork was set to get a Felix Hernandez or a Joe Mauer. Other than Hamilton or Greinke, the Sox are stuck with overpaying for average talent on the free agent market. Examples this week: Jonathan Broxton - 3 years, $21 million; B.J. Upton - 5 years, $75 million. I think Ben & Co. knew that this was a poor free agent class & they did their due diligence to fill several roster holes via trading partners. It wouldn't surprise me if the Sox got 4 or 5 players via trade with a couple of different teams during next week's meetings in Nashville.