Sox head home with a new look

12/08/2005
DALLAS -- The Red Sox left Dallas with a decidedly new look to their team, adding second baseman Mark Loretta and top-rated third-base prospect Andy Marte while subtracting veteran backup catcher Doug Mirabelli and shortstop Edgar Renteria.
Of course, the Red Sox couldn't complete their entire agenda during a hectic Winter Meetings, as they still are exploring trade opportunities for Manny Ramirez and David Wells, both of whom have asked for trades out of Boston.
"At this point, we've made three significant trades," said Bill Lajoie, who serves as special advisor/baseball operations for the Red Sox. "As you know, we still have places to improve, so, hopefully, we're halfway to our objective of putting a championship team on the field."
Deals done: Acquired Loretta from the Padres for Mirabelli; acquired Marte from the Braves for Renteria and cash considerations; offered arbitration to 3B Bill Mueller, CF Johnny Damon and 2B Tony Graffanino; declined to offer arbitration to LHP Mike Myers, 1B Kevin Millar, RHP Matt Mantei and 1B John Olerud.
Rule 5 activity: Claimed right-hander Jamie Vermilyea from the Blue Jays in the Major League phase. In Triple-A phase, Boston claimed right-hander Victor Ramos (Cubs), right-hander Jason Richardson (Braves) and infielder David Bacani (Mets).
Goals accomplished: Boston filled a major hole in the infield with the deal for Loretta, who was one of the best offensive players at his position two years ago. The Red Sox also landed a top-line prospect in Marte for Renteria, something that was needed after losing Hanley Ramirez to the Marlins.
Unfinished business: Aside from continuing to explore the market for Ramirez and Wells, the Sox need to find a new shortstop and figure out who will play first base. They also continue to seek upgrades in the bullpen and have a surplus of depth at starting pitching to help pursue that need.
Front office's bottom line: "Quite frankly and honestly, I'm very happy with what we were able to accomplish here. We worked very hard." -- Lajoie

Source: http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/