Red Sox aim to build around strong core at Meetings

Which big bat will the Red Sox find to replace David Ortiz? Who is going to pitch the eighth inning?

Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski and his entire staff will be working overtime to answer those questions at baseball’s Winter Meetings, which start on Monday at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center outside of Washington, D.C.

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MLB.com and MLB Network will have wall-to-wall coverage and fans can watch live streaming of all news conferences and manager availability on MLB.com, including the Rule 5 Draft on Dec. 8 at 9 a.m. ET.

The Red Sox are coming off a 93-win season and have a strong core projected to return in 2017. At the Meetings, the Red Sox will huddle with other teams and many agents to determine how to strengthen a roster that includes Dustin Pedroia, Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts, Jackie Bradley Jr., Hanley Ramirez, Rick Porcello, David Price and Craig Kimbrel.

Club needs

Designated hitter/slugger: The Red Sox don’t necessarily have to get a DH to replace Ortiz, but they need to find another hitter to account for some of the lost production. Carlos Beltran would seem like an ideal fit because he would come on a shorter-team deal and is a switch-hitter. Edwin Encarnacion’s price will likely be too high. Though the Sox would prefer a left-handed hitter to replace Ortiz, a reunion with Mike Napoli shouldn’t be ruled out.

Setup man: Dombrowski hasn’t sounded all that enthused about trying to re-sign Koji Uehara or Brad Ziegler, which makes it likely the Red Sox will pursue a free agent or trade target to pitch the eighth inning. Greg Holland could be worth signing as a reclamation project. The former Royals closer is coming off Tommy John surgery.

Who they can trade if …

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