INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- After a 2012 season that went wrong almost from the start, there are plenty of off-season needs for the Red Sox -- so many in fact that the club can't address them all at once.
They need pitching help, a first baseman and two outfielders. Those needs, for now, supercede the one they have at the shortstop position. Until some other questions get answered, shortstop is closer to the bottom of the to-do list than the top.
"That's fair to say,'' said Ben Cherington. "I think we're going to see where we are. We're working to address the areas that I've talked about.''
As the roster currently stands, the Sox have two possible shortstop options on the roster: Jose Iglesias and Pedro Ciriaco. Together, they've played a grand total of 52 games at the position at the big league level.
Iglesias is masterful in the field, but has been a bust at the plate so far. Ciriaco can handle the defensive responsibilites, but the Sox are concerned about how his undisciplined approach at the plate would translate if he played every day.
"We think Jose is ready to help a major league team -- depending on what the rest of the team looks like,'' said Cherington. "If we feel like we need to build some protection in that area, as the off-season goes on, we'll consider that.''
Translaton: if the Red Sox succeed in landing some bats at first base and the outfield, they might be able to carry Iglesias's suspect bat.
"Nobody's going to be given anything,'' said Cherington. "If he's given an opportunity to win the job in spring training, then he'll have to win the job.''
One of the few free agent shortstops on the market is Stephen Drew, who was dealt from Arizona to Oakland last summer. The A's then declined to pick up a 10 million option for 2013, making Drew a free agent.
The Sox have had interest in Drew -- the younger brother of former Red Sox outfielder J.D. Drew -- in the past.
"It's early in the off-season,'' cautioned Cherington. "We've got to see what happens and how the team looks two weeks from now, three weeks from now, six weeks from now before we can really answer that.''
The Sox have Iglesias on a strength and conditioning program with the idea of building some bulk, which could help him at the plate.
"He's a got a plan in place,'' said Cherington, "and people he's working with, including people on our staff.''
