The club is trying to recreate the formula that worked a few years ago.
Red Sox manager Ben Cherington has so far signed catcher David Ross and outfielder Jonny Gomes, two players who were invisible in the rumor mill while other names were bandied about.
The best take I have ever heard on baseball deals came from Jason Varitek, who wisely observed that the transactions which occur are usually those we never hear about beforehand.
Everyone claims insider status these days, but nobody predicted the big Blue Jays-Marlins trade. And, in the weeks of hearing about Josh Hamilton, Torii Hunter and any number of pitchers coming to the Red Sox, no one said a peep about Jonny Gomes, who agreed to two years and $10 million.
Now that we have some real news and not arbitrary, coffee-table conjecture, we can see the Red Sox are serious about using the early-2000s blueprint to rebuild their franchise.
John Farrell is back, David Ortiz has been kept and even Dustin Pedroia might be in line for an extension he won't need for years. Gomes is a newcomer, but he is also cut from the mold of clubhouse cut-up Kevin Millar, who kept things loose in a city where the pressure can suffocate good ballplayers.
Gomes, who turned 32 Thursday, will hit the long ball and strike out a lot. Defensively, he is below par.
He was cheaper and signed for a shorter deal than Cody Ross, who is a very similar hitter and a better outfielder than Gomes. Like Ross, Gomes will pass anybody's clubhouse chemistry test.
Gomes is a .244 hitter with 136 homers in 10 seasons. In 2012, he batted .262 in 333 plate appearances with 18 homers and a career high .377 on-base percentage for Oakland, his fourth team.
Some Red Sox fans will be disappointed. Too many still cling to the hope the club will whip out the checkbook and grab up some big stars.
The Red Sox have given no indication they plan to do that. Recent history says it would be a bad idea if they did.
As for unsubstantiated rumors, the Sox reportedly have interest in two shortstops, Cleveland's Asdrubal Cabrera (by trade) and Stephen Drew (free agent).
If that's true, I would ask why they traded Mike Aviles, who was no All-Star but still their most proven shortstop. Aviles was swapped for Toronto manager John Farrell, then traded again to Cleveland.
My opinion is that I would never trade a player for a manager. Too many quality managerial candidates exist that can be hired without doing so.
The Red Sox decided they had to have Farrell, but perhaps the idea of using managers as trade chips can be revisited. If Farrell fails, could the Sox swap some prospects to Tampa Bay for Joe Maddon at the July 31 trade deadline?
For now, Gomes is aboard and the Red Sox continue to try recreating that early 2000s magic. Feel free to get excited over the next hot rumor, but I plan to listen to Jason Varitek and await more surprises this winter.