Bailey hoped to shed his reputation of being injury-prone after being traded from Oakland. Instead, the closer hurt his thumb and was out until August.

When he returned, Bailey was far from stellar in relief, going 1-1 with a 7.04 ERA. The 28-year-old also failed to convert three of his nine save opportunities, a string of lackluster performances that he’s anxious to end next season.

“My performance last year, I’d be the first to say, wasn’t who I was or wasn’t anything I was proud of,” Bailey said. “Even when I was healthy, I didn’t do my job to my fullest expectations or the organization’s expectations. I’m taking that into my offseason workout, knowing I have to hammer down games for this organization and for this team. We’ve got to get to the playoffs. That’s where my mindset is.”

Reports have surfaced saying the Red Sox would be opening to trading Bailey. With the emergence of Junichi Tazawa, who posted a 1.43 ERA last season in relief, Bailey could become expendable.

But Bailey isn’t allowing that thought to creep into his mind. He tweaked his offseason schedule and plans to start light throwing as early as this week.

“Right now, I would think I’m the only guy in that [closer's] role,” said Bailey, who is looking to arrive in Fort Myers in the first week of February. “They traded for me for a reason.”

Even with those competitive juices, Bailey raved about Tazawa’s growth over the past season. He said he is looking forward to teaming up with the Japanese hurler and shutting opponents down in the back end of the bullpen.

“Him mentally just handling the ups and downs between Triple-A and the big leagues was very impressive,” Bailey said of Tazawa. “And obviously, coming up here and doing what he did is just icing on the cake. He has a big bright future ahead of him. I loved having him in the bullpen. Anyone with that kind of stuff deserves an opportunity.”

 Have a question for Didier Morais? Send it to him via Twitter at @DidierMorais or send it here. He will pick a few questions to answer every week for his mailbag.

Since getting hired as the new Red Sox pitching coach Nov. 8, Nieves has piled up the minutes on his plan, dialing everyone from Franklin Morales in Venezuela to Alfredo Aceves in Mexico and Daniel Bard in Mississippi.

Nieves has managed to touch base with every single pitcher on Boston’s roster. Now, after the initial introductions, the 47-year-old plans to accrue his frequent-flyer miles in January and visit the pitchers in person.

“Hopefully, as many as possible within the time frame,” Nieves said on Friday of the visits. “It’s hard because, for them, it’d be a one-day situation in which I’d leave home in the morning and come back, but I don’t want to take a lot of time because I know this is very precious time for them, too — holidays, family and the tradition.

“I’d be more than happy to even do the long toss with them. I’ll play catch with them. I can still throw a little BP and do long toss. I’ll be more than happy to play along if they need a partner, or I’d enjoy going to wherever they are and see them throw on the side and exchange thoughts. Get acquainted, that’s all.”

One of the first pitchers listed on Nieves’ travel agenda is Bard. Nieves recently reached out to the 27-year-old on the phone, but the conversation lasted just 15 minutes since Bard was hunting at the time.

After watching video on Bard, Nieves is eager to inherit the reliever as a reclamation project. He is coordinating a visit to Mississippi, where he’ll get a gauge on Bard’s development.

“I didn’t see him early [last season],” Nieves said. “I think by the time [the White Sox] played [the Red Sox], he wasn’t around. So I never really had a chance to really see him, only through video. But we want to get back to the 2011 Bard, and that’s a guy that is in there.”

Nieves is the fifth Red Sox pitching coach since 2010. He’s the latest in a revolving door at the position, following John Farrell, Curt Young, Bob McClure and Randy Niemann.

This job, however, marks his first as a major league pitching coach. He was the White Sox’ bullpen coach for the past five seasons. While this is newfound territory, Nieves intends to bring some of the same philosophies from Chicago to Boston.

“You don’t have to have five No. 1 guys or five No. 5 guys in a rotation to be successful,” Nieves said. “I think you expect your 1-2-3 [starters] to be consistent, hopefully your 4 and 5 eventually. It’s nice when they eventually pick and choose during the course of the season they throw like a 1 and 2 maybe for a month and a half. You never know.

“I think accountability for the starting five is very important. It was proven in Chicago, and we’re going to stress that here. You see it with teams like Tampa Bay. When  you have a strong five, it’s nice to keep your bullpen nice and healthy, and not only healthy but fresh.”

Thumbnail via Flickr/Keith Allison

A non-roster invitee, Ciriaco wowed the Red Sox with his hitting, bunting and speed. While he failed to make the 25-man roster in April, the 27-year-old managed to latch on with the team in July.

With a vacancy at shortstop since the Red Sox traded away Mike Aviles, Ciriaco is vying to take the next step and win a starting job. He plans on approaching his competition against Jose Iglesias with the same mentality he took last offseason.

“I’m going to work hard this offseason to win it, but I’m also not going to put too much pressure on myself either,” Ciriaco said in a Spanish-language interview on Friday. “I’m just committed to doing my best like last year and whatever happens, happens.”

Before shifting his focus to the spring, he’ll tend to an injury first. While playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic, Ciriaco told NESN.com that he suffered a minor shoulder injury that limited him to just six games for Toros del Este.

After the Red Sox’ medical staff examined him last week, Ciriaco came away confident that he’d be healthy in time for spring training. The news bodes well for Red Sox manager John Farrell, who wants to capitalize on his versatility.

“When you consider he was a minor league free agent, he was a darn good player,” Farrell said. “He’s athletic, can do a number of things. I know there was an attempt to put him in center field, which when you look at a player with his skill set, that’s a natural thing. If he can play center field, boy, his value really starts to increase.

“Good first-step quickness, plenty of arm strength to play anywhere on the field. I don’t want to say he was a great find, but he was a heck of an addition when you consider how he came to the big leagues.”

Ciriaco hasn’t discussed his role with the Red Sox just yet with Farrell, but expressed confidence in the skipper’s decision-making. In the process, he made it a point to praise ex-manager Bobby Valentine for giving him a platform to showcase his skills last year.

“I was really appreciative of the opportunity that he gave me,” Ciriaco said. “It’s a business and we can’t dwell on [his firing], but I owe him for the opportunity.”

Over the past few years, he’s had chances to leave his post as the hitting coach at Single-A Charleston –– the Yankees’ affiliate –– for a promotion. But the incentive wasn’t enough for the 43-year-old to uproot his family from South Carolina and bolt.

Until now.

When the job opened up in Boston, Colbrunn was intrigued by the prospect of reuniting with ex-Diamondbacks coach and current Red Sox third-base coach Brian Butterfield, as well as moving closer to his wife’s hometown in Connecticut.

Colbrunn, who played 13 seasons in the majors with seven different teams, understands the need to adjust his coaching style. But he expressed confidence in his ability to tailor his tutoring methods from Single-A to the big leagues.

“When you’re in [Single-A], you’re going through mechanical adjustments, work ethic and trying to build a foundation,” Colbrunn said. “When you’re dealing with big leaguers, they’ve gone through that process –– they have their styles and repetitions. They have a real good idea of how to hit and a lot of it becomes more mental than it does physical.”

From Red Sox manager John Farrell‘s perspective, he was searching for a candidate that had strong communication skills in addition to a solid hitting pedigree from his playing days.

“As we went through the interview process, it became very clear that not only does [Colbrunn] have a wealth of knowledge as far as hitting goes, but the ability to relate,” Farrell said. ”In that interview process, it felt like that would certainly carry over to dealing with our hitters.

“His fundamental approach to hitting is aligned with what we value,” he added. “All things considered, this became a very clear choice as we went through that process.”

Farrell was particularly impressed with Colbrunn’s hitting philosophy. During the interview process, Colbrunn preached the importance of grinding out at-bats and compiling what he called “professional” at-bats.

Under former hitting coach Dave Magadan –– who took the same position with the Rangers –– the Red Sox initially embraced that style, making a conscious effort to work the count to wear down opposing pitchers.

Last season, however, the club’s hitters strayed away from the approach and became more impatient at the plate. That’s why Farrell tapped Colbrunn to help the Red Sox return to that philosophy.

“Our goal is to get to the point where we are grinding out at-bats,” Farrell said. “We are hopefully getting to that bullpen in those middle innings, whether that’s the fifth, sixth or seventh inning –– to potentially exploit the weakness of a given club.”

In the meantime, Colbrunn plans to study up on pitchers in the American League –– for game planning purposes –– and spend time with Boston’s sluggers this offseason in an attempt to learn their methods.

“The biggest thing is getting to know the starting pitchers, the pitchers throughout the American League,” Colbrunn said. ”Spending six years in A-ball, you don’t really get a chance to sit around and watch that many [major league] games. So getting to know the pitchers, their tendencies, learning our hitters and building relationships with our hitters is the most important thing.”

And he’ll start that process immediately.

Have a question for Didier Morais? Send it to him via Twitter at @DidierMorais or send it here. He will pick a few questions to answer every week for his mailbag.

Photo via Twitter/@BeachCarolina

Despite hiring Greg Colbrunn to be the club’s primary hitting coach, Red Sox skipper John Farrell reiterated his intention to appoint an assistant hitting coach and employ a two hitting coach system.

Although Farrell is still sifting through possibilities, he identified one viable candidate for the open job on Wednesday.

“We’re not close [to hiring an assistant], but I will say we have spoken to Victor Rodriguez who would be the leading candidate for this second position,” Farrell said. “But we’re not at the point of naming that individual.”

Rodriguez has served as the Red Sox’ minor league instructor and hitting coordinator for the past six seasons. The 51-year-old also has a son who is scout in the Red Sox organization.

But as Farrell continues his search for an assistant, he is committed to hiring a candidate that shares Colbrunn’s hitting philosophies. That way, Red Sox players could avoid confusion from potential conflicting messages.

“Once that rapport is built with those two staff members, it gives that ability to have that trust,” Farrell said. “If Greg is on the field doing early batting practice and the assistant is in the cage working with another set of hitters to get them ready to come out on the field, there’s known information that is being given to all hitters that are consistent — even though there’s going to be two different sets of eyes that might view a hitter slightly differently.

“So the consistency of the message and frequency that communicates between two coaches — those are the two most important factors, so that hitters aren’t confused or given mixed messages.”

Colbrunn — along with the assistant — will collectively replace Dave Magadan, who left the Red Sox over the offseason to take the hitting coach job with the Rangers.

Have a question for Didier Morais? Send it to him via Twitter at @DidierMorais or send it here. He will pick a few questions to answer every week for his mailbag.

The team announced Wednesday that it has hired Greg Colbrunn to fill the vacancy. Colbrunn will be replacing Dave Magadan, who left Boston after six seasons to take the same job with Texas.

The former first baseman has spent the last six seasons with the Yankees’ Single-A affiliate, working as the hitting coach from 2007 to 2009 and 2011 to 2012. The 43-year-old also managed the team during the 2010 season.

After 13 seasons in the majors with the Diamondbacks, Marlins, Braves, Expos, Twins, Rockies and Mariners, Colbrunn finished with 98 home runs, 422 RBIs and a .289 batting average. He also won a World Series with the Diamondbacks in 2001.

“Greg’s success as a hitting coach and his experiences as a major league player make him a strong addition to the Red Sox coaching staff,” Red Sox manager John Farrell said in a statement.

Colbrunn beat out Red Sox minor league hitting coordinator Victor Rodriguez, Diamondbacks hitting coach Rick Schu and Braves assistant hitting coach Scott Fletcher for the position. One of the other three candidates, however, could be hired as an assistant hitting coach. Earlier in the offseason, Farrell and general manager Ben Cherington expressed an interest in hiring two hitting coaches for the 2013 season.

It remains to be seen how much of a splash Boston will make, but with the financial flexibility gained in the midseason megadeal with the Dodgers, the possibilities are endless. And as a result, the Sox have been linked to numerous free agents, including Nick Swisher.

Swisher is coming off a season in which he hit .272 with 24 home runs and 93 RBIs with the Yankees, and while he struggled for the Bronx Bombers during the postseason, there’s no denying the guy can hit. But it’s factors beyond just his ability to drive in runs that could make Swisher an attractive option for the Red Sox. Not only is the veteran slugger versatile in that he can play both the outfield and first base — two of the Red Sox’ areas of need — but he’s also a great clubhouse guy that would add a gritty, fun attitude to the mix.

Assistant editor Ricky Doyle caught up with NESN.com MLB writer Didier Morais to get his take on the Red Sox’ reported interest in Swisher, as well as his thoughts on some of the other names on the open market.

Have a listen to all of the baseball fun in the player below, or subscribe to iTunes to download the podcast there.

Photo via Flickr/Keith Allison

While Mike Trout had a phenomenal campaign as a rookie, Miguel Cabrera deserved the 22 first-place votes that landed him the award. At the end of the day, it comes down to baseball not computer stats.

With 44 home runs, 139 RBIs and a .330 batting average, Cabrera became Major League Baseball’s first triple crown winner in 45 years. To achieve an accomplishment that rare and that unique carries significant weight in the discussion.

The modern day sabermetrics geeks are calling RBIs an overrated statistic and an inaccurate way of judging a player’s value. But last time I checked, the objective of the sport is to score more runs than the opposing team.

On a day-to-day basis, Cabrera came through in the clutch — with runners in scoring position — to drive in RBIs at a high rate. Unlike Trout, Cabrera delivered RBIs down the stretch, knocking in 54 runs in the last 57 games with a .354 average.

Meanwhile, the Angels outfielder hit .257 in the month of September. It’s a sports cliché, but baseball aficionados have always analyzed players by how they finished, not how they started.

Many have defended Trout’s candidacy by pointing out that he was a better defender. But keep in mind that Cabrera sacrificed the comforts of playing first base and shifted over to third to accommodate newcomer Prince Fielder. Again, that has to count for something. That sacrifice epitomizes value. On top of that, the Tigers third baseman also played the majority of the second half injured, but managed to stay on the field for 161 games.

With those contributions, Cabrera led the Tigers to the postseason. While the Angels finished with one more win than the Tigers, they failed to sneak past the Athletics and Rangers in their division.

That isn’t Trout’s fault, by any means. But in all sports — especially the NBA and MLB — a team’s playoff status is a big determinant on who is worthy of being awarded the MVP. So Cabrera gets the nod once again.

Advocates for Trout have pointed to the hitter-friendly dimensions of Comerica Park as a reason for Cabrera’s success. But a hitter has to be talented enough to capitalize on that advantage, albeit a minor one, against skilled pitchers.

Just look at the Yankees’ performance in the American League Championship Series. Even in the confines of two hitter’s park, the Yankees’ most feared hitters had a power outage and proceeded to drive in just six runs through four games.

Regardless of the stadium, Cabrera never once had a hiccup.

There’s no denying Trout is light years better than Cabrera on the basepaths. His 49 stolen bases certainly helped his cause, as the rookie became the first player to reach 10.0 WAR (wins above replacement) since Barry Bonds in 2004. But this is the award for the most valuable player, not the best player. That’s why Cabrera was the right man to win the AL MVP.

Have a question for Didier Morais? Send it to him via Twitter at @DidierMorais or send it here. He will pick a few questions to answer every week for his mailbag.

Other than re-signing David Ortiz and hiring manager John Farrell, the Sox haven’t made a big splash (yet), although they did sign a very formidable backup catcher in David Ross. Ross should prove to be a nice pickup, but it also means the Red Sox have some decisions to make when it comes to their catching situation, which still includes the likes of Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Ryan Lavarnway.

What makes the whole scenario even more interesting is that Mike Napoli‘s name has been linked to the Red Sox this offseason, even in the wake of the Ross signing. Napoli, of course, has spent the majority of his playing days behind the dish, so one would think that signing him may add to the backstop confusion. However, Napoli is reportedly open to playing first base, and it just so happens the Red Sox are in need of an everyday first baseman.

Assistant editor Ricky Doyle caught up with NESN.com MLB writer Didier Morais to discuss whether or not Napoli would be a good fit in Boston, and Morais thinks it’s definitely a move the Red Sox should pursue. Not only would the veteran slugger bring a powerful bat, but his ability to catch could wind up helping the Sox should something happen to one of the team’s catchers at some point during the season. And as we all know, catching in the majors is certainly a grind.

Doyle and Morais also discussed the reported megadeal between the Blue Jays and Marlins, including who the Jays should tab as their next skipper. Add that to the ongoing AL MVP debate, and you’ve got yourself podcast magic.

Have a listen to all of the hardball talk in the player below, or subscribe to iTunes to listen there.

Photo via Facebook/Mike Napoli

After trading their top three players — Andrew Bailey, Trevor Cahill and Gio Gonzalez — over the offseason for prospects, the organization appeared destined for a 100-loss season after going 74-88 in 2011.

At one point, a losing record looked like a reality. On June 13, the Athletics were trailing the Rangers by 13 games for first place in the division. Even with nine days left in the season, Oakland was behind Texas by five games.

Yet somehow, Athletics manager Bob Melvin managed to turn the team’s fortunes around and guide them to a division title with a 94-68 record. That’s why Melvin deserved the American League Manager of the Year.

He got the most out of youngster Josh Reddick — a product of the Bailey trade — and rookie Yoenis Cespedes, who combined for 55 home runs and 162 RBIs to carry Oakland’s offense into the postseason.

During the season, Melvin steadied the ship as the roster drastically changed. By the end of the regular season, the Athletics were playing with a completely different infield than the one from Opening Day. Not a single one stuck at their original position.

That’s nothing compared to the makeover the starting rotation received. One by one, Melvin started slotting rookies into the rotation, hoping they’d survive after being baptized by fire.

Whatever Melvin said, it worked. Tommy Milone, Jarrod Parker, Dan Straily and A.J. Griffin made a seamless transition into the majors.

When Bartolo Colon was suspended for using performance-enhancing drugs and Brandon McCarthy was drilled by a line drive, Brett Anderson stepped right in and posted a 4-2 record with a 2.57 ERA in six starts.

He came up with a creative and consistent platoon in the outfield. Regardless of how they performed on a day-to-day basis, Melvin rotated between Brandon Moss, Jonny Gomes, Seth Smith and Collin Cowgill in the outfield.

With the lowest payroll in baseball –– $59.5 million –– the Athletics penned a sequel to Moneyball by spearheading a run to the playoffs. Had they not faced Tigers ace Justin Verlander twice in a series, Oakland could’ve snuck into the World Series.

The craziest part is they still have young talent on the way for Melvin to play with. Pitchers A.J. Cole, Brad Peacock, Raul Alcantara along with infielder Miles Head were all top prospects acquired last offseason who never played in 2012.
Should they develop sooner and evolve into major contributors, Melvin could be well on his way to another managerial award.

Have a question for Didier Morais? Send it to him via Twitter at @DidierMorais or send it here. He will pick a few questions to answer every week for his mailbag.

Jon Morosi of FOXSports.com is reporting the Red Sox have “checked in on” him, although he wouldn’t be ready to pitch until late May or June.

A two-time All-Star, Soria is two years removed from his last All-Star season as closer for the Royals. That season, he compiled a 1-2 record with a 1.78 ERA and logged a career-high 43 saves.

Through five seasons –– all with Kansas City –– Soria has posted a 13-15 record with 2.40 ERA and racked up 341 strikeouts. He blossomed under former Red Sox pitching coach Bob McClure.

Soria’s season came to a halt last spring training when he sensed pain in his right elbow. It resulted in the second Tommy John surgery of his career, with the first taking place back in 2003.

The Royals declined his $8 million option in the offseason, but Soria has expressed a desire to stay with the club. But if it doesn’t happen, the right-hander could be a candidate to bolster Boston’s bullpen.

That means social media. The Angels outfielder welcomed both of his parents to Twitter and urged his followers to follow them.

Welcome my parents to twitter land !!! @debbietrout27 @jeffreytrout !! #FOLLOW

— Mike Trout (@Trouty20) November 5, 2012

Fortunately for Trout –– who is likely to be the Rookie of the Year — he’ll have his brother, Tyler, to pitch in and train his parents, Jeffrey and Debbie, on the tricks and trades of scouring through Twitter.

Going to take @trouty20 and I all night to teach @jeffreytrout and @debbietrout27 how to use twitter!! #technologicallyimpaired

— Tyler Trout (@TylerTrout) November 5, 2012

So far, it looks like Jeffrey is navigating around Twitter just fine. He retweeted a publication that named his son the top player in fantasy baseball heading into next season.

It remains to be seen whether he’ll divulge any embarrassing stories from Trout’s childhood.

According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, Cody Ross is seeking a contract in the three-year, $25 million range. While Ross was a heck of a player for Boston last season, there’s a chance Cherington and Co. could ultimately find the price tag to be too high and thus look elsewhere when it comes to the corner outfield positions.

If the Red Sox do look elsewhere, they’ll have some in-house options, including Ryan Kalish. If the club elects to go outside the organization, either via free agency or trade, Torii Hunter could be an intriguing option.

WEEI.com Rob Bradford reports that the Sox are showing interest in Hunter, whom the Angels did not offer a qualifying offer. The 37-year-old is coming off a season in which he hit .313 with 16 home runs and 92 RBIs in 140 games for the Halos, and the outfielder has a solid relationship with the recently signed Ortiz. All that being said, perhaps he’d be a nice fit in Beantown.

NESN.com assistant editor Ricky Doyle caught up with MLB writer Didier Morais to discuss a potential Red Sox-Hunter connection, and they think it would work out well. The two also discussed a number of other topics, though, including Ortiz’s new deal, Jacoby Ellsbury‘s future, potential trade targets and the upcoming World Baseball Classic.

To hear it all, click the link below, or subscribe to iTunes to download the podcast there.

Torii Hunter a Nice Fit for Red Sox If Boston Elects to Pursue Veteran Outfielder>>

Photo via Flickr/Keith Allison

With Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz carrying the top of the rotation, the Red Sox are primed to sift through pitching options that could bridge the gap to Felix Doubront and John Lackey –– the team’s fourth and fifth starters, respectively.

While Rubby De La Rosa and Allen Webster are starting options in the farm system, Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington indicated that he’d be likely to go outside the organization to add to the rotation.

“We’re considering all sorts of pitching options, both free agents and also I’m sure we’ll talk to a couple of teams about a trade,” Cherington said. “I don’t think — I’m not ruling out acquiring someone we would control longer term, but what we want to do is add to the 2013 rotation. I’d like to do that in a way that’s smart for the long term, too.”

Cherington said he never aggressively pursued trade’s last week, especially with the Angels making Ervin Santana and Dan Haren available. The Angels eventually shipped Santana to the Royals.

Despite laying low last week, Cherington expressed optimism about the direction of the franchise’s pitching staff.

“We do believe we have better upper-level starting-pitching depth than we did a year ago,” Cherington said. “We want to make sure that continues to mature and we eventually get some of those guys in the rotation. We’d like to add someone for 2013.”

Have a question for Didier Morais? Send it to him via Twitter at @DidierMorais or send it here. He will pick a few questions to answer every week for his mailbag.

That’s why David Ortiz may take it easy. During Monday’s news conference to announce his two-year deal, the Red Sox’ designated hitter admitted that he’s contemplating sitting out the showcase in March.

“I talked to Ben [Cherington] and the owners and that might be an interruption between the things they’re planning me to do next season, and be aware of being ready to go for the season next year,” Ortiz said. “We’ll see how things go. It seems like they don’t really want me to be out there for the pregame season, whatever that is.”

Ortiz was an anchor for the Dominican Republic’s lineup in the 2006 and 2009 World Baseball Classic. Coming off an Achilles injury –– and considering he’ll turn 37 later this month –– the slugger may not want to risk his health in the competition.

He watched the impact playing had on teammate Daisuke Matsuzaka back in 2009. Despite winning the tournament’s MVP award for Japan, Matsuzaka experienced weakness in his throwing arm down the stretch for the Red Sox.

Given the gamble, Cherington intends to reach out to other members of his roster and discuss the situation.

“The only player I’ve talked to at all about that is David, and as he said, I’m sure it’s something we’ll talk more about,” Cherington said. “We want to try to protect the team and protect him as best we can. I haven’t talked to any other player about it. I’m sure we will sometime this offseason.”

At lease one other player has shown an interest in participating in the World Baseball Classic. During the season, pitcher Alfredo Aceves told NESN.com that he expected to play for Mexico in the event.

For now, it’ll likely hinge on his future with the team and discussions with Cherington.

Have a question for Didier Morais? Send it to him via Twitter at @DidierMorais or send it here. He will pick a few questions to answer every week for his mailbag.

After hiring manager John Farrell last week and formally re-signing David Ortiz to a multi-year deal Monday, the Red Sox general manager departed Tuesday morning to Palm Springs, Calif., to attend Major League Baseball’s general manager meetings.

While the winter meetings typically provide baseball’s biggest blockbuster trades, the Red Sox could still construct the building blocks of potential swaps during these meetings. Either way, Cherington says dialogue will be open.

“I think it’ll be more information gathering, meeting with teams,” Cherington said. “I’m sure there will be some agents there. We’ve already had a lot of conversations on the phone, but face to face, we’ll talk a little more about concepts — both free agent concepts and trade concepts. The offseason is a bit of a mosaic, we’re looking for one piece and how it affects the other. But at some point, the other balls have to fall.”

The Red Sox are in need of a first baseman, a starting pitcher, a shortstop and corner outfielders. Despite the laundry list of wishes, Cherington insists there’s no particular priority.

“I don’t know if we can follow an order because there’s enough to do and some sort of impact the other,” Cherington said. “I think we have to keep engaged in a number of different things at once with agents and teams. We have a general idea of things we want to pursue the most aggressively. We’ll see if any of those land more quickly and if they do that might shape us in a certain way. I think we need to keep our options open as much as we can, knowing we have a lot of work to do.”

Have a question for Didier Morais? Send it to him via Twitter at @DidierMorais or send it here. He will pick a few questions to answer every week for his mailbag.

As of now, the Red Sox have Rick Peterson, Randy St. Claire, Juan Nieves and Steve Foster in contention for the position. But Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington believes they will have the list whittled down to one candidate very soon.

“We’re getting closer,” Cherington said of the job. “We’re not quite there yet. But my hope is that we have something on that this week. We’ve started. We’ve identified some people we want to talk to about the hitting coach position. That’ll start this week, too. We’re moving along at a pretty good speed.”

The Red Sox are searching for stability with this selection. Since the 2010 season, the team has shuffled through four pitching coaches — John Farrell, Curt Young, Bob McClure and Randy Niemann.

As Cherington and Farrell sift through candidates for the rest of the staff, the Red Sox may contemplate keeping holdovers from ex-manager Bobby Valentine‘s group. The favorites to stay for the Farrell era would be bullpen coach Gary Tuck and first-base coach Alex Ochoa.

Tuck has the right to exercise an option for the 2013 season. He’s currently weighing personal and professional situations, but Cherington indicated that Tuck’s deadline was approaching.

“We’ve continued a dialogue with the guys that were here,” Cherington said. “I’ve told some that I don’t see a scenario where they could be on the staff, and others, there’s still a chance, and we’ll continue to talk to those guys.”

For the time being, the Red Sox have filled their bench coach and third-base coach positions with Torey Lovullo and Brian Butterfield, respectively.

Have a question for Didier Morais? Send it to him via Twitter at @DidierMorais or send it here. He will pick a few questions to answer every week for his mailbag.

Boston’s window to exclusively negotiate with Ross has come and gone, allowing the outfielder to test free agency. Despite the differences, Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington is keeping the dialogue open with Ross’ agent.

“We’ve had a number of conversations,” Cherington said. “Obviously we’re into free agency now. We didn’t sign him before that started. The door will remain open, and we’ll continue to talk, but once we’re in free agency, he’s got opportunities to talk to other teams, and we fully expect him to do that.”

Ross is reportedly eyeing a contract similar to that of Josh Willingham‘s three-year, $21 million deal from last offseason. The Red Sox outfielder feels it’s fair compensation after he delivered 22 home runs and 81 RBIs in 130 games.

When Willingham inked the deal, he was one year older than Ross — who is currently 31 years old. But after playing on a one-year, $3 million deal in 2012, Ross is hoping for more financial security.

And Cherington understands the outfielder’s perspective since he’s coming off a bounce-back season.

“Going back to last fall when I first talked to Cody about coming here, the goal obviously was to do well as a team,” Cherington said. “But part of the goal was to put him in a better position. I felt it could put him in a better position by coming here and performing in this ballpark. The good news is that it did.”

The bad news, however, is that Ross’ sudden rise could cost the Red Sox. The team declined to extend him a qualifying offer of $13.3 million for next season, which would prevent them from receiving a draft pick if Ross signs elsewhere.

While Cherington believes in Ross’ abilities to maintain his momentum — in a pull-happy stadium like Fenway Park — the general manager is angling to re-sign him at the right price. If not, he is prepared to pursue other options.

“He’s in a good position now,” Cherington said. “It makes it tougher to sign him. We’ll keep the door open. We’ll keep talking. At the same time, we’ve got to consider alternatives, too.”

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But does the Red Sox slugger plan to call it a career after the 2014 season? Well, Ortiz isn’t pondering the possibility just yet, insisting his primary goal is to lead the Red Sox on and off the diamond.

“I know I’m a force in this organization and this ballclub and Ben [Cherington] talked to me through the season and me and a couple of my teammates, he let us know he wants to build this organization around us,” Ortiz said. “That’s something I told Ben straight up – I’m up to the challenge.

“This is an organization that I try to represent it the best I can and it’s very painful to see what we went through this season and you know, they’re doing the job to put a good thing together for next year and they’re doing the job and we’ll be sure we have a better season — just like everybody expects.”

His offseason is already off to a strong start. Aside from inking a multiyear deal, the 36-year-old said his ailing Achilles — which caused him to miss the last two months of the season — had improved greatly.

Ortiz has managed to start completing leg exercises. Regardless of his circumstances, he plans to continue rehabbing over the offseason in order to anchor Boston’s lineup at full strength next season.

“There’s one thing I’m going to make clear right here –– I get prepared to play,” Ortiz said. “I like to see the pain in the opposition. I like to win. I’m the kind of guy that, the season is never over for me. I’m still working, still putting myself together right now, when everybody’s vacationing.”

He credited his offseason regimen last offseason for his tremendous start to his 2012 campaign. After shedding roughly 20 pounds, the slugger tortured opposing pitchers, belting 23 home runs and 60 RBIs through 90 games.

“Trust me, I was feeling unbelievably well, which is a feeling I haven’t had since I was in my 20s, you’ve got to go back to that,” Ortiz said. “It’s like they say, game recognize game, and the best thing that happened to me is getting to know my body better than usual.”

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Amid the drama, there was one bright spot for the Red Sox last season – the bullpen.

The relief staff combined to tally a 3.88 ERA, an impressive feat considering the starting rotation’s struggles constantly placed them in a bind. Facing adversity, the bullpen came through and racked up 475 strikeouts, fourth in the majors.

They did so despite many moving pieces. For the majority of the season, the Red Sox were without closer Andrew Bailey and were forced to demote an inconsistent performer in Mark Melancon early on.

Despite the constant shuffle, Andrew Miller, Clayton Mortensen and Junichi Tazawa blossomed into major contributors after getting promoted from Triple-A at different points last season. Even Chris Carpenter showed promise in September.

When the 2013 season rolls around, Bailey — if healthy — is likely to start the season as a closer. But based on Tazawa’s dominance in the last two months, he’d be a strong candidate to be Bailey’s set-up man.

Through 44 innings in 2012, Tazawa compiled a 1-1 record with a 1.43 ERA to go along with 45 strikeouts. There’s still the chance the Red Sox could convert Tazawa into a starter, but after the Daniel Bard experiment, it’s doubtful.

The Red Sox will have a surplus of lefties around with Miller, Rich Hill, Franklin Morales and Craig Breslow. Morales’ status, however, hinges on whether the team wants to shift him into a starting role. Either way, that’s enough firepower to stymie opposing hitters.

Boston, of course, also has excess options to bridge the gap between the starting rotation and back end of the bullpen in Mortensen, Carpenter, Alfredo Aceves and Scott Atchison. If Vicente Padilla, who is a free agent, elects to return it’ll only fortify that group.

But Bard is the ultimate wild card. Once a top set-up man, Bard lost his touch as he attempted to become a starting pitcher. When his command went out the window, the Red Sox were forced to send him down to Pawtucket for the majority of the year.

Under John Farrell‘s watch as a pitching coach, Bard blossomed into his superior self. Given the reunion — now that Farrell is the team’s new skipper — Bard could be poised to reclaim his mechanics and regain elite form.

That possibility alone would serve the Red Sox better than any offseason addition to the bullpen.

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